Becks to Milan. Then Back to LA for a bit. Then Back to Milan Again.

By: Daryl | March 3rd, 2009

The big tangle has finally been untangled and the movers can finally get a move on. Because it looks like David Beckham is staying with AC Milan. Until the end of the season. Then he’s going back to LA to play the end of the MLS 2009 season. And then he’s going back to Milan again – for good – in January 2010.

Milan didn’t meet Galaxy’s price of $10 million, but apparently Becks is taking up the option to buy himself out of his own contract. Yep, his MLS experience was so bad that he’s willing to pay money to make it stop.

I exaggerate of course. It wasn’t all bad. Even if Galaxy were.

So basically Becks’ loan with Milan is extended to May 31st 2009. After that he’ll play for Galaxy to meet his contractual obligation to play the 2009 season. And after that he’ll exercise the option to buy himself out and sign for Milan in January 2010.

And if Beckham wants to prolong his career – both domestic and international – then there’s no argument that Milan is the place to do it. With their famous lab that’s kept the likes of Paolo Maldini playing well past his hundredth birthday, Milan is clearly the creme de la creme of old age homes. And I mean that in the best possible way.

The big question now is how MLS fans will feel about all this. Becks will return for his late 2009 farewell tour (even though it still feels like he only just got there if you ask me) and fans will likely pack the stadiums again to see Becks play in MLS. But will they still cheer him as the soccer messiah? Or will he booed like a footballing Judas?

Some Related Stories:

Category: World Football

« MLS 2009 Preview: Seattle Sounders FC | Home | Daily Dose: March 3rd, 2009. »

The Offside RSS Feeds

Chris

Does he get to sit on the England bench for the two games in June?
Laurie

Adas, yeah. So I as a Galaxy fan can hate Milan and Beckham for all kinds of reasons, but money isn't one of them. :-)
adas

I stand corrected. I misunderstood there being no set deal as meaning there really was no deal. I see. This is not so bad then.
Walklett

I respect his decision to seek more competitive play. It shows he hasn't completely sold his soul.

I blame Tom Cruise for Beckham's decision to leave L.A. Living next door to that douchebag would drive anybody half way around the world.
Laurie

Adas, AEG would never allow themselves to get pushed around financially like that. It may not be perfect, but AEG and the Galaxy will be well-compensated. From the LA Times:

Although financial details of the deal have not been revealed, it is said to involve more than the $10 million to $15 million that the Galaxy and MLS were seeking for allowing Beckham to leave on a permanent basis.

Part of the money will come from AC Milan as payment for the extended loan, with a further payment coming at the time of the eventual transfer. Milan's total is more than the $3 million the club initially was offering.

A larger amount will come from Beckham himself as compensation for leaving MLS with two years remaining on his contract.
Ronald

Kevin Garnett will be most unpleased with this development.

lol
adas

The real tragedy is the MLS loses out on making money off of this. Beckham comes back for half the season (if he's not injured). Then he goes back to Milan. All they get is the money he forfeits for leaving. Milan, a team in Italy, have just shown how easy it is to push around our entire league. In the very least, MLS should have demanded that he return for the whole season. Then he could leave on his own.
matt

don't blame em a bit, except for maybe not realizing just how shallow the kiddie pool he was going to play in was going to be.
Mike

Great. He comes back to Milan a year and a half from now, a year and a half older. I love ya Becks, but go somewhere else!
Wayne Farry

But Laurie, no-one really believed he'd 'save' US soccer. One man can't help things, it takes years and years of good organization to build a sport. That very phrase; 'to save US soccer' is an awful one. Sure, the US game isn't in a great state but it's growing, slowly, but still growing. The way people use that word 'save' in relation to this you'd swear the game was falling apart. Sure, it's behind American football, baseball, basketball and hockey but that's to be expected. If anything, I feel that Becks' move to the US has put US soccer back further than if he had never come.

And Rob, there's a 'Congratulaions' card in the post with your name on it!
Rob

Ooh, I said he'd buy himself out of his contract, do i get a prize?
Laurie

He did only just get here. He arrived injured in mid-2007, barely played that season, showed up for the first half of 2008, then disappeared. (Not physically, but he might as well have.) And now this.

What a bust for MLS from the guy who was supposed to "save" American soccer.
Wayne Farry

Looks like a win-win situation for Becks!

He gets to finish the season with Milan and then maybe try to prove to the US that he wasn't a waste of money by having a good season with them!

Hopefully he can keep himself in contention for Capello's WC 2010 squad. But no-one knows what'll happen by then. I mean, David Bentley might actually be good then!