ITALIAN SERIES A:DAVID BECKHAM'S hopes of appearing in the 2010 World Cup have been boosted by an unusual "timeshare" deal struck by the player's US club, Los Angeles Galaxy, and Milan, the team where he is currently on loan.
Under the terms of the arrangement, which follows weeks of hardball tactics on both sides, Beckham will remain in Milan until the end of the Serie A campaign and then return to the US in time for the second half of the Major League Soccer season before rejoining Milan on loan from November until the conclusion of the 2009-10 European season.
The midfielder will be given a short break between each move but will not benefit from the extended rest savoured by players who do not feature in domestic campaigns on different continents within the same year.
That is unlikely to perturb a player who, though his pace has waned somewhat, remains in admirable physical condition and, moreover, has never been reliant on speed to influence matches. Most significantly, of course, prolonging his stint in a top European league, rather than the sapping mediocrity of the MLS, increases his chances of retaining the favour of the England manager, Fabio Capello, ahead of next year’s global showpiece in South Africa.
The new deal means the only competitive England matches for which Beckham will not be based in Europe are the home ties with Croatia and Belarus in early September.
Beckham is reported to be funding the majority of the undisclosed loan fee agreed between Milan and Galaxy – about €2.23 million is said be coming from his own pocket – and he will also sacrifice the bountiful commercial earnings to which he would have been entitled had he stayed in the States. That fact articulates how wealthy he already is but also demonstrates the strength of his determination to travel to a fourth consecutive World Cup, a feat so far only achieved by Bobby Charlton.
Beckham is not scheduled to remain at Milan beyond July 2010 so, unless his performances in the interim convince the Italians or another side to try to keep in Europe thereafter, he will be expected to go back to LA Galaxy and serve out the five-year contract he signed in 2007.
Beckham’s former manager at Manchester United, Alex Ferguson, welcomed the deal: “It is good for him . . . because it is the right type of football. I spoke to David when he came for dinner with us in Milan. He was hoping it was going to happen.”
GuardianService
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