David Beckham Announces Retirement

Coming to America
Quite simply, it was one of the most stunning transfers in the history of the sport: Beckham's move in 2007 to the Los Angeles Galaxy put Major League Soccer on the world map. It's not unkind to suggest that nearly every overseas signing who had played in the U.S. did so for a healthy payday at the twilight of his career. But Beckham was still a relatively young man (32 at the time), and his signing sparked hitherto unknown levels of interest in soccer in the U.S. Yet cynics would carp that his move was a result of his no longer being selected for the England team and of Los Angeles serving as the perfect location to promote Brand Beckham.

• David Beckham's England Career Is Over