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What is next for Beckham?

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

As the news of David Beckham’s impending departure from the Los Angeles Galaxy makes waves around the world, the growing number of potential destinations for the English superstar is growing by the day. Name a continent and Beckham has been linked to a rumor of going there. He even has rumors pegging him to stay in MLS, but with another team (extremely unlikely).

So where exactly will Beckham be going after the 2012 MLS Cup Final? Will he return to England to play for a London club and play in the city where he grew up, or will he take up the Australian A-League’s offer to help put their fledgling league on the global map? Will he consider the big money offers of places like Dubai, China or oil-money loaded Paris St. Germain?

Let’s run through the rumored options that the 37-year-old Beckham is faced with right now:

ENGLAND

A return to the Premier League doesn’t make a ton of sense beyond the obvious connection of potentially returning to play in England. Beckham talked of wanting to face a new challenge before retiring. While playing on a relegation-threatened club like Queens Park Rangers would technically be a new challenge, it seems unlikely that he would return to the league where it all began for him.

AUSTRALIA

The A-League is making a hard push for Beckham, and is hoping to add him to Alessandro Del Piero to give the league a serious push into the international consciousness. They have the money, and it certainly is a new challenge, but would Beckham really spend an extended amount of time there and uproot his family? A more likely scenario would see a short stint there before retiring and focusing on MLS club ownership.

FRANCE

Paris St. Germain made a hard push for Beckham a year ago only to fall short. If PSG is still interested, it might be difficult for Beckham to pass up a chance to play for a stacked team that will be playing in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds. The question is does PSG actually need him on the field? And if not, would Beckham be content with being a fringe player?

CHINA

The league that landed Drogba and Anelka would surely be able to find the money to bring Beckham, but is he ready to go to a league that is truly disconnected from the international soccer mainstream? This one seems extremely unlikely as well.

SCOTLAND

Yes, as you know, Snoop Lion expressed interest in buying a stake in Scottish champion Celtic, and went on record as saying he’d love to bring Beckham with him. While that all makes for hilarious headlines and unintentional comedy, a move to the Scottish Premier League doesn’t make all that much sense. Not for him or for the club.

NEW YORK RED BULLS

This interesting but mother of all long-shots would have Beckham somehow heading from the Galaxy to the Red Bulls, which would require New York to part ways with Rafa Marquez (something fans there and around MLS pray happens this winter). Beckham has never played for two teams in the same league, and it seems highly improbable that after six seasons as a member of the Galaxy that he would go play for another team in MLS. Call this one wishful thinking.

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So where will Beckham wind up?  Australia, France and England seem like the most reasonable trio of front-runners.

Where do you see Beckham winding up? Cast your vote here:

 

  • Australia
  • England
  • France
  • China
  • Scotland
  • Dubai
  • New York

 

Which destination did you pick? Where would you like to see him wind up?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Instead of getting a single Big Name signing I would love to see LAG let Landon have his walking papers and sign …

    GANSO and NEYMAR

    Benefits:

    1. Same Time Zone
    2. Short Flight Home
    3. Big CHECK CLEARING EVERY PAY DAY

    If MLS could get one or two of these guys or (Leandro Damiao, Willian, Casemiro, Ganso, Coutinho, etc.) Maybe the flood gates for young S. American players would open up.

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  2. IMO it’s either OZ (essentially an MLS redux) or England (one final season to retire with Man U).

    Either way he’s not going back to Brimsdown Rovers…

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  3. Beckham will leave the Galaxy and probably as an active player to concentrate on his new endeavor, as an MLS owner (co-owner). Most likely, the Cosmos.

    It all makes sense and the timing is right. Consider ,Victoria Beckham has been house shopping in New York and looking at schools. Her fashion design business is doing well and the heart of the fashion industry is in New York.

    Consider the MLS is going to award the last franchise for foreseeable future and it’s going to be in New York, in a new Stadium.

    Consider that the MLS has been encouraging the Cosmos organization to bring in deep pockets and new people into the ownership group to be successful in their bid for their application for a franchise.

    Consider that, as part of the initial contract agreement in bringing Beckham to the MLS was the promise of an opportunity to buy into or be awarded and MLS franchise. Most likely the part of that clause will include some sort of financial inducements., ie reduced franchise fee, low rate loans , tc., etc.

    You only have to look at this and it all makes sense. Have the biggest MLS star, in the biggest city as an owner.

    Plus the travel time to Europe and back is a lot shorter than from LA.

    There is a small possibility that Beckham could play one more year in Europe ofr Asia, but I think the process of getting a franchise off the ground is very time consuming and he wants to be a part of his challenge.

    You heard it here first.

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  4. Maybe I am missing something (possibly even in one of the articles posted here) but, if he signed a contract with LA through the 2013 season, how is he going to play somewhere else next year? Was it a one year deal with a player/joint option for 2013 or did he have an escape clause? If not, is LA just going to void the final year as a sign of appreciation/good will or is a foreign team ponying up a transfer fee? Or am I wrong in thinking that the contract was through the 2013 season?

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    • You are right, but the ’13 season is an option. In contract talk- that’s called not exercising an option. He would be fulfilling the base period of his current contract, which runs through the end of this season.

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      • Thanks. I assumed that had to be the case but all the articles I could find said that he signed a “two-year extension” without mentioning that the second year (i.e. 2013) was an option year.

  5. It would be funny if MLS is paying him to do this to hype of the MLS cup and he’s just going to return to MLS next season. That’s my new guess.

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  6. Beckham’s current contribution to football is marketing, as a filler of seats and seller of replica kits. So, he’ll not go to a top tier league where he’d be a marginal member of a club. Probably, the most competitive team he’d join would be PSG.

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  7. Snoop Lion invites him to Europe to talk about investing in and playing for Celtic. Due to harsh weather conditions, Snoop’s flight is diverted to Amsterdam and the location of the meeting is hastily rearranged. With his fondness for high-grade Bud, Snoop has trouble leaving the coffee houses and winds up investing in Ajax and signing Beckham to a contract to play there. Hup, Holland!

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  8. If Becks joins the A League, he can play along other “International Marquee” players such as del Piero, Emile Heskey, (American) Shane Smeltz, and former DCU player Fred. Yikes.

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  9. http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news-display/clubs-line-up-to-sign-beckham/53416

    At least five Hyundai A-League clubs are said to be preparing bids to bring superstar David Beckham to Australia.

    As speculation grows that the former England midfielder could be tempted by a 10-game guest stint, following his admission that he will leave LA Galaxy in December, a number of A-League clubs are looking at all the options as they attempt a move that would rival Sydney FC’s signing of Alessandro Del Piero.

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    • Oz is a tiny market. 20 million people. I don’t see him making more than a pit stop there. Nobody in China is going to care about him playing in the A-League for 10 games.

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  10. Posh is the one who is going to pick their next destination and they’ve already been scouting schools and property in the tri-state area. She’s got her clothing line moving and Scotland, Dubai and Australia don’t make any sense for her. He’ll be a NYRB next season.

    Reply
  11. Based on the last contract negotiations with LA, you have to wonder if he wants to keep the family in LA or at least the US. Expect him to leave the family here and be back permanently before too long.

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    • My thoughts exactly. He’s got four young kids, three of which are enrolled in school. It’d be one thing if the Beckham clan passed thru LA for a year or two, but six years is a long time for kids – quite literally the majority or entirety of their lives. I wonder if he’ll uproot the gang or, like you said, play abroad for a year then return to LA permanently.

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      • And be involved financially with the AEG sale, then he will be part owner of the Galaxy, Kings, and everything else they own.

      • I’m being a bit selfish here… the longer he and the fam stay in the US, the more likely the kids get in the US setup (not knowing, of course, if they are going to be good enough). I’m just looking forward to a USMNT with a couple of Beckhams, young Klinsmann in goal and Ronaldo’s American born son up top.

  12. Australia or China. I doubt Dubai. Consider Victoria Beckham. She wants a place she can market herself. France is a possibility but Beckham would be on the bench. Australia makes sense but its worlds away but she can sell herself there

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  13. straight up trade Rafa for Beck’s everyone happy.
    Red Bulls attract more Europeans to attend games and Galaxy get to steal a chunk of Mexican fan base from Chivas usa…

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    • This makes a lot of sense. Becks seems unlikley to uproot his family for a far off destination, but if Victoria wants to make more headway in fashion she’d be better off in New York. I can see Becks playing for Red Bulls for a year to get his foundation in New York and make a decision about working with Red Bulls or sliding over to the Cosmos. The Red Bulls could certainly use him and Marquez seems a natural fit for LA (although Donovan and Marquez on the same side?) . As for Kaka, I can’t imagine he will come to MLS now that he is starting for Brazil again and appears headed to 2014. More likley he waits until after the Cup. MLS should target Ronaldinho, who has been playing well and has all the name recognition you could ask for.

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  14. He’s coming to New York but not the Red Bulls. Beckham will have an off-the-field/management/development roll in trying to bring the Cosmos to the MLS and a new soccer-specific stadium to New York City, likely in Flushing, Queens. When they get rid of Marquez, Red Bulls will bring Kaka in during the summer.

    Reply
    • I do like Kaka to be one of the next signings, he’s accomplished a lot of the team things one can do in Brazil and Europe, both Digao and Saragosa are here. Reminds me of Barrichello joining his childhood buddy Kanaan in IndyCar. I actually think signings like Henry who loves America, or Kaka who would have lots of connections, are superior to throwing cash at random players. Get people who want to be here and they should be more motivated to play well and not embarrass themselves. You throw around DPs at people and maybe they expect Qatar or China and are surprised people can run and kick when they show up.

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  15. Here is my question, what huge global soccer superstar will MLS and the LA Galaxy target next to replace Beckham? Ronaldinho? Kaka? Lampard (although I do not consider him a superstar)? How crazy would it be if MLS somehow was able to splash the cash for Neymar. I’m talking in the ballpark like a 10-year $300 million deal. I think it would be money well spent, the hard part would be convincing a player such as Neymar to come play in the United States. I know it is a pipe dream, but if MLS could pull it off, what a coup it would be for soccer in the US.

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    • hope there are no more mega beckham-like circus signings. i think the beckham deal made sense for the league at the time, but i think MLS has matured since then and doesn’t need to make a similar splash. i like the signings of veterans like arne friedrich and thierry henry, who still love the game and want to pass on their experience, even if they’re part their prime.

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      • Messi is on the level of Bechkam in terms brand marketing. If you are going to offer a deal like somebody mentioned 10yr/300M, then Messi is the only one worth it.

        Ronaldinho is too old, but maybe 3y/30M or is that out of the question for a 32 year old?

      • Agree with that. But it makes sense to bring in a “name” from a marketing sense. The name floating around, Lampard, KaKa and Drogba, have all expressed interest in a LA Galaxy move. Also AEG is being sold, so the deep pockets that brought in Beckham may be gone, or not so deep. In addition,, Bruce Arena is the General Manager as well as the coach (he wasn’t when the Beckham deal went through) He is happy with his mostly Brazilian midfield ( Juninho, Sarvas) and may look upon a Kaka favorably)

        Bruce Arena will not bring in a player who he thinks idsfor marketing or window dressing. He was really impressed with Robbie Keane and pulled the trigger there despite a lot of criticism as the Galaxy actually had to pay a transfer fee (an MLS no-no). It has paid off in spades for the Galaxy (and the MLS)

        In short the MLS will want another big name in LA, and this time Bruce Arena will chose him, which is good news for the Galaxy and the MLS.

    • Maybe a little too similar to what happened with Pele? Not saying that a financially conscious MLS couldn’t make it work. It’s an interesting idea. As you said though, the hard part wouldn’t be buying him from Santos, it would likely be convincing him to play here.

      What was Beckham’s deal for? I’m not sure what the right amount of money would be but having Neymar here leading up to a World Cup 2014 in Brazil and the possibility of the Copa America 2015 could really elevate things to the next level.

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    • QPR is a mess and riding that Titanic down into relegation is not your career exclamation point. Plus while he did play for some other youth teams, eg, Orient and Spurs, and even had a brief Preston loan as a senior player, he’s generally been a loyal one team per league guy. Alex is not interested in a ManU cameo so I think that door’s closed.

      Cosmos fans are adorable.

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      • i think it will be Cosmos. he’s too old for D-1 football but probly could still hack it in D-2. did you see him last Sunday nite? he was a liability out there. maybe he could handle the A-League…

      • I understand what you’re saying but a D1 team could hire Beckham to stand around like Valderrama used to. I don’t think it’s a recipe for success…..Carlos never won MLS, and I think some of that is you leave your team playing 10 on 11 defensively…..but the right team might entertain 10 games to a full season of circus to up exposure and improve the bottom line. Not everyone wants to put together a perfect soccer lineup, and even teams like the Galaxy and Dynamo at this MLS/ A-league/ K-league level are usually flawed in some fashion. As a Dynamo fan, we have no interior playmaker and our CBs are slow as molasses. We cope with certain quality players and a team concept. It’s more a matter of how well you work within limits at that level, and whatever we think of Becks’ deteriorating abilities, LAG is back in the final.

        A-league seems to have some Dutch inspiration, less emphasis on defense than here, particularly lot of goals one of the recent weekends…..Central Coast 7 – Sydney 2. Del Piero, Heskey and others are doing well there at “advanced ages.”

  16. I spoke to his best friend, Frankie Klopas, and a move to the Windy City will be announced the day after the MLS Cup. He has purchased a condo on the Gold Coast under the assumed name Harvey Lagos and enrolled the kids at Walter Payton Elementary School. Derek Rose will be driving them to and from school while Joakim Noah and his father will teach them tennis. Victoria has always had a thing for the harsh, cold winters and she wants her kids to experience bitter cold temps and ice skating. GO FIRE!!!!!!!

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  17. i bet he goes to china to build “brand beckham”. it’s not about sports anymore. it’s about the amount of underwear he can sell.

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    • Yep. A truckload of cash over in China for Beckham. I would think either China or a last run in Europe. PSG?

      Australia is too similar to MLS. Why would he bother?

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      • Australia. No need to learn another language, and lifestyle (Sydney) identical to SoCal.

        Also, potential for $$$$$ from imaging/brand/merchandising in nearby Asian markets like Japan/China due to A-League teams in the Asian Champions League.

      • LAG have been making winter trip after trip to Australia and NZ. Plus the rumors, plus if he picks the right team and stays long enough maybe he can play in the AFC CL himself. I agree beyond that, that being there then opens the door to selling himself to Asia proper.

        For a dark horse, why not Japan? The A-league has tough salary rules like here and what like one marquee player per team off cap. China would be like Qatar, and I don’t think he sullies the image to get a paycheck in a paycheck league. So why not Japan? Safe to live, trustworthy paychecks, more money to spend on him, they’d probably adore the guy, plus a high level of play and AFC CL teams.

      • Japan is an option but it is very hard for (older) foreigners to adapt living there. Beckham is 37.
        Plus it is a totally different lifestyle and culture for someone used to living in SoCal.

        Given a choice between Australia and Japan, I would choose Oz in a second. You can speak English, go to the beach in the winter, eat similar food, etc…and very difficult to do all that in Japan unless you adapt.

  18. His statement seemed to suggest he wanted people to know he will not forget about MLS and will return to be part of a club. That suggests he’d be returning to MLS, not transferring to another club. As much as I love Beckham and he’d be an insane upgrade fromMarquez, I think it’s best for him to go to France or Australia (the latter in order to promote the profile of their league). Beckham has been a great part of this league and I admire how he won over the fans. Disappointed to see him go.

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    • It has to be Australia. A-League reps and a team’s official came out and said they were bringing Beckham then changed their minds and said they’re “talking”. But all reports say it will be for 10-matches which makes sense. He can’t go into a team and expect to play either a full season or half a season. He needs rest. 10 games would be perfect.

      Whatever the case, he was a model player the past few seasons and always represented MLS well in the media. He single handily rose the profile of MLS and for that he will always be a legend in the US.

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    • One angle that seems overlooked: DB signed a two year deal with LAG last winter. How’s he getting out of that if he intends to move elsewhere? Is it really 1+1 with the second an option? Are we releasing the multimillion dollar meal ticket for free? Is he buying out or are we selling him?

      As a Dynamo fan I also want to thank him for upping to a new level the soap opera on the Galaxy end that had already started with Landon’s malaise comments.

      Reply

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