David Beckham had a final swan song in Paris over the weekend while playing the supposed last match of his career and despite the fact that he no longer wants to play, Beckham plans on being a part of the football world, possibly as an owner in America.
After making the announcement about his retirement, Beckham has spoken with Major League Soccer about the possibility of owning an 'expansion franchise', which was part of his original deal with the Galaxy and that could happen down the line in the future as the MLS is planning on adding a 20th team in New York with Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi being the possible owner.
Beckham likely would be able to develop his own franchise and it could be a part of future MLS expansion. The former England captain's contract with MLS, signed when he joined the L.A. Galaxy in 2007, included an option to purchase an 'expansion franchise'. Beckham announced his retirement from professional soccer on Thursday but has been tight-lipped about his future plans after ending the season with French club Paris St Germain.
Beckham has, however, already taken on some commitments including signing up for 'ambassadorial' roles promoting football in China and encouraging people to play sports in a partnership with British pay TV company BSkyB. While Beckham has always indicated he would use the option, a spokesman for Beckham told Reuters that it was "early days" regarding any post-retirement plans for the player.
While the South Beach lifestyle might appeal to Beckham, who made his family home in Beverley Hills during his six years in Los Angeles, the city has been considered a tough market to crack for MLS.
The Miami Fusion, who played in neighboring Fort Lauderdale, joined MLS in 1998 but were closed down by the then struggling league after four seasons along with fellow Florida team the Tampa Bay Mutiny.
A major stumbling block to a South Florida team is that they would likely have to finance a purpose-built soccer stadium given the two major venues in the city are an NFL and baseball venue and MLS is not keen on sharing sites designed for other sports.
(Reuters)
