Beckham heads for LA in $1 million a week deal

David Beckham

　　David Beckham will leave Real Madrid at the end of the Spanish season and sign a five-year deal for US side Los Angeles Galaxy worth $1 million a week.

　　"After discussing several options with my family and my advisors to either stay here in Madrid or join other major British and European teams I have decided to join LA Galaxy and play in the Major League Soccer (MLS) from August this year," Beckham told reporters.

　　The 31-year-old former England captain will earn a total $250 million over the five years.

　　In a televised interview, Beckham said: "I didn't want to go out there at 34 years old and for people to turn around and say he's only going there to get the money. It's not what I'm going out there to do.

　　"I would like to thank supporters and the people of Madrid who have made my family and I so welcome in my time here making this an extremely difficult decision to make," Beckham said.

　　"I have enjoyed my time here enormously and I am extremely grateful to the club for giving me an opportunity to play for such a great team and their amazing fans."

　　Beckham, who joined the Spanish giants from Manchester United in June 2003, is still one of the most recognisable and marketable sports figures in the world despite being dropped by England following last year's World Cup quarter-final exit and has spent much of the Spanish season on the bench.

　　He is certainly the biggest name to move to the US since soccer greats Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff played in the now-defunct North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 1970s and early 80s and gives a major shot in the arm to the Major League Soccer (MLS), formed 10 years ago.

　　大卫·贝克汉姆将在本赛季西甲联赛结束后离开皇马，并将与美国洛杉矶银河俱乐部签下一份周薪高达100万美元的五年期合同。

　　贝克汉姆接受记者采访时说：“与家人和顾问们商讨了几种选择之后，我决定不再与皇马续约，而且也不会去英超或其他欧洲俱乐部；我已决定加盟美国洛杉矶银河队，从今年8月份开始，我将在美国职业足球大联盟效力。”

　　这位31岁的前英格兰国家队队长未来五年内的收入将达到2.5亿美元。

　　贝克汉姆在一个电视采访中说：“我不想等到34岁的时候再去那里，这样人们会说我是去那淘金了。这不是我去那里的初衷。”

　　贝克汉姆说：“我要感谢所有支持我的人和皇马的朋友们，是他们让我和家人在这里度过了一段美好的时光，这让我很难做出离开的决定。”

　　“我在皇马的这几年感到非常愉快，我也十分感激皇马给了我为这个伟大球队效力的机会，这里的球迷也很伟大。”

　　贝克汉姆于2003年6月从曼联转会到皇马。尽管小贝因国家队在去年世界杯四分之一决赛中遭淘汰而辞去队长一职，尽管他在皇马饱受"冷板凳"的待遇，但小贝目前仍是世界上最受认可、最具商业价值的运动员之一。

　　贝克汉姆无疑是继上世纪70至80年代在北美足球联盟（10年前成为美国职业足球大联盟）踢球的大师贝利、弗兰茨·贝肯鲍尔和约翰·克鲁伊夫之后，为美国效力的又一位巨星，他的加入将令美国职业足球大联盟精神大振。

　　Vocabulary:

　　give sth./sb. a shot in the arm : do something that makes you more confident or more successful 做某件振奋某人精神的事（ 例句：The new factory will give the local economy a much needed shot in the arm.）

来源：英语点津