Can David Beckham Win over American Fans?

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RISMEDIA, Jan. 16, 2007-Late last week, English footballer David Beckham signed a $275 million, five-year deal with Major League Soccer franchise, the Los Angeles Galaxy, which includes a $50 million salary, retention of existing sponsorship contract rights estimated to be worth $25 million, merchandising sales, and share of the club profits.

This will also make Beckham the first footballer in history to have a stake in the football club for which he plays. The combination of endorsements with a profit-sharing agreement with the club could potentially make the deal one of the most lucrative contracts in sports history. Here's a summary of Beckham's career leading to his signing in the U.S. with hopes of drawing more attention to soccer in this country:

Beckham was born May 2, 1975

Beckham was named as a member of Pelé's FIFA 100.

Beckham has been recognized by Time Magazine as one of 2004's Time 100 (Heroes & Icons), and he is recognized as a global advertising brand.

Beckham is the fifth most capped England player of all time, has twice been the runner up in the FIFA World Player Of The Year Award in 1999 and 2001 and in addition to being the only Englishman to score in three different World Cups, is also only the fifth player in World Cup history to score twice from direct free kicks.

He was captain of the English national team from 15 November 2000 to July 2, 2006.

Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first first-team appearance in 1992, at the age of 17.
He left the club to become only the third Englishman to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, after Laurie Cunningham and Steve McManaman.

In 2006, after England's quarter-final exit at the World Cup in Germany, he stood down as captain.

On 10 January 2007 Real Madrid Sporting Director Predrag Mijatovic announced Beckham would leave the club in mid 2007.

On 11 January 2007, Beckham agreed to a move to the MLS team LA Galaxy on a 5 year contract beginning on 1 July 2007, after his current deal with Real Madrid expires.[3]

Source: http://www.wikipedia.org.

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