What next for brand Beckham?….

This week Becks announced that he plans to quit LA Galaxy after 6 years playing in America and quite possibly paving the way for the league to lure the likes of Robbie Keane, Tim Cahill and Thierry Henry across the pond.

Some will say he went for the $6.5 million per year and not the challenge but I’m sure most will agree that he is not hard up for a few quid and whilst the lure of all that money would of turned his head, the challenge to raise the profile of a still relativity new league in comparison and in a country where, the oval shaped ball and more complicated versions of rounders and netball will always be king, must have been the real pull for the ex Real Madrid and Manchester United midfielder.

The media hype and much needed sponsorship will be missed by the MLS in its entirety but what next for the former England captain?….another MLS team?, Paris?, China? Or maybe the league that Heskey is making look like playground stuff the A League in Australia.

Paris would be a great move for the boy from Leytonstone for his profile and bank balance and I’m sure his clothes horse of a wife would love the potential to parade around the fashion shows etc but would he get a shirt in what is becoming an impressive PSG side?, i cant envisage Beckham uprooting his family to Paris to warm the bench at his age.

China?…no disrespect but former Dortmund striker Lucas Barrios, Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita, and Chelsea players Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba have all gone for the Yuan and nothing more, the standard is poor and the financial integrity is questionable. Yes the CSL will offer brand Beckham a global playground and I’m sure more money than you could shake a stick at but this is a very different country to England, Italy, Spain and the USA to take his young family too.

Australian A League teams Perth Glory and Melbourne Heart are rumoured to be piecing together deals to try and lure Beckham over to Oz, in the hope he can help galvanise their league in the same way he did for the MLS and raise the merchandising stakes like he did with the projected £377 million he earned Real Madrid in his four years.

Beckham has said he doesn’t see himself playing for another English club after his love affair with Manchester United so I think we can safely say it’s going to be abroad but knowing Becks it could be somewhere very obscure and off the radar and not where any of us would expect.

What we do know is that wherever the former England captain ends up the cash cow that is brand Beckham will bring a media frenzy and a guaranteed hike in the merchandise and sponsorship deals.