Beckham plans to relocate to U.S. after career

LOS ANGELES – David Beckham said Monday that he and his family plan to relocate permanently to the United States after his playing career is over.

The English midfielder, who has still not decided whether he’ll return to the L.A. Galaxy for one more season or switch to French side Paris St Germain, helped the Galaxy to the MLS Cup title Sunday.

However, in an exclusive interview, Beckham told Yahoo! Sports that he and his wife, Victoria, and their four children will continue to spend the bulk of their time at their luxury Beverly Hills mansion for years to come.

“We have had such a great five years here,” Beckham said. “We plan on keeping our house here and spending the majority of our time here as a family. It is a great place for our children to grow up. We have been treated so well in this country, so we won’t be getting rid of our house.

“When you live in California the weather is amazing every single day. For our children to be able to go to school and come home and go to the beach or jump in the pool, you don’t get that many places in the world. The whole friendliness of everybody – it has been very laid back. We get a certain amount of privacy with certain things we do in the U.S., that has been very nice to have.

“Over the years it has always been about the professional side, what team am I going to play for – my decisions have always been about that. But I have got a growing family, I am at the stage of my career where it is about my family, whatever makes them happy is the most important thing. I have been playing this game for a long time, I love being on successful teams and playing good football and I plan on continuing to do that.”

Those comments may offer some hope to the Galaxy hierarchy, which is desperate for Beckham to return and help the club defend its title. The 36-year-old star is clearly tempted by one final opportunity to test himself against top European opposition though, and will formulate his decision after the Galaxy’s end-of-season tour of Asia and Australia.

If it is the end for Beckham in L.A., then it simply could not have ended better. Overcoming a torn hamstring suffered in training to help set up Landon Donovan’s goal in the 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo, the story had a dose of Hollywood about it – and Beckham knew it.

“Sometimes it does feel like a film script,” Beckham said. “Over the years when I look back at my career and moments and things that have happened, it is incredible. It is like a movie at times, especially to win another trophy in the last year of my contract. If you were to make a movie and you wanted a script, that’s how it would end, like last night. It was pretty incredible.”

Beckham and his teammates partied until the early hours of the morning. He returned home in time to get his sons ready for school before adding his medal and memorabilia from the victory to his personal trophy cabinet.

“It was a great night,” he said. “I said it a few times in the press conference after the game that it was going to be a good night and it wasn’t a letdown. … It has been a long year, a successful year and last night was a good way to end it.

“Everything I have won in the game is all on display. Every medal I have won, every shirt I have worn, every shirt I have swapped. The personal pictures I have got. The trophy is going to be the same, the medal I have got, the shirt and the boots that I wore, it is all going to be in pride of place.”

The Galaxy hopes that it will have Beckham in pride of place in its midfield as it begins its title defense next season.