£495,000 per week (in Off-topic)

That's right. You read that right.

That's how much David Beckham will be paid for his move to American Soccer...

Just under £1,000,000 a fortnight.

There is something seriously wrong with the world...

They are a business, they think he will make them more than that, simple.

Football is no longer a sport. It's a group of Firms competing for money. Look at Chelsea and Man-UTD in the premiership. I'm glad Beckhams off to America, don't have to hear about his family affairs and all that. Now you're stuck with him mwahaha! He's useless anyhow. Well past it.

I don't care what they think. No one should be paid that much.

/rant

Wasp, you say that as if it's the play that matters to us.

Just wait till you hear him speak... >;)

With Posh in tow as well....

I wouldn't take the pay cut to move to America.

G, you get paid that much, I'm coming to live with you! :P

If I got paid that much there would be sunshine in the background of my user pic and not the rain that seems ever present in Scotland at the moment.

Beckham is a great footballer and a fantastic ambassador for the sport. I hope he does well in the US.
In saying that, trying to get that particular audience switched onto football - well I dunno, but it's going to take more than Beckham and a $900k / week salary. I don't think the US will ever embrace the sport in the same way that other countries have.

The amount of money they get paid is ridiculous. I also think the figure 495 thousand pounds is wrong, no player is worth that much. Although the revenue he will bring to the club would probably be quite a bit.

"The £128m deal is understood to comprise his salary, existing sponsorship contracts, merchandising shirt sales and a share of the club profits" from the bbc

Beckham is the most overrated soccer player I have ever watched. The only thing he can do is make a few free kicks every now and then.

Also, that is probably the worst move for him. Here in the states, soccer is even lower than Women's Hockey in terms of viewership (I made that up, but it is almost true). He will want to go back after one season here.

Doubt it, he may prefer a bit less limelight. He's not the first star to take a big payday and wind down his career as a big fish in a small pond.

It's the perfect way out of Real Madrid for him as going back to England isn't an option given he played for the biggest club there before moving to Spain. Anything else would be a step down.

He's not moving to the US for the football. It's the end of his career, a great pension, the place he wants his kids to grow up and next door to his new best pals Mr & Mrs Cruise, that's why he's moving. Oh, and also because Posh told him to.

Mian,
Beckham was a very very good player in his day and only one rung lower on the ladder of class behind players like Pele, Maradona, Zidane. Few people could live with him and I can't think of many players who covered as many miles as he did during the game - great work ethic.

All I can say is AFL (American Football League). Used to be an upstart league challenging the NFL. They lost money for like the first 4 years. Now, they are as much a part of a billion dollar industry as anyone. I assume that is what the hope is with this move.

Lose LOTS of money year 1, but gain veiwers. Lose too much money year 2, but a few more viewers. So that by say year five they MIGHT break even. BUT, if it hits, like basketball or football did, it could easily be the move a financial genius, I personally think it will not work. Soccer does not have the right "style" to get kids in school to shoot each other for tennis shoes of their heroes. Here in the states, this is a prerequisite for insane salary compensation.

Was Michael Jordan worth 50mil a year to the Chicago Bulls in his hey day? Probablty another 0 on there of overall value. Well Mr. Beckham will either be the next Jordan or the next Ryan Leaf, only time will tell. (if you have to say who is Ryan Leaf that is my point ;)

Wow, It's the 21th century version of the signing of Pele by the NY Cosmos.

Don't get me started on Beckham.
His greatest attribute when playing for England was that he wasn't called Emile Hesky or Gary Neville (or a late day David Seamen for that matter). Free-kicks against Greece are a close second mind you.
Nonetheless, I think there is no real possibility of a decent return on investment for that kind of salary given the lack of support for the sport.
Ultimately the fact that US soccer fans get to see the world's top players when they are in decline probably hurts more than it helps. Being told about circa 1984 Maradona and watching circa 1994 Maradona would be largely an unmitigated disappointment.

On an unrelated note I would love to see the NHL embrace the promotion/relegation system of European football.

From a radio report I just heard, he is now the highest paid sportsman in America.

And he hasn't even kicked a ball yet.

Let's hope he doesn't break his foot (again) in the first game and is out all season eh?

If you're English you're not qualified to have an impartial opinion on Beckham ;)
He was a great player and isn't being paid this kind of money because he's not.

Anyway, the money isn't about him playing - he's trying to deliver a lot more than just that in America.

I hope he does well although I can't see him raising the profile of the game inside America much more than it is at the moment. At least not over the long term.

Been a while. Time for a smiley :)

Soccers a sport? You know in North America soccers more of a thing them furiners do like eating snails and half rotten fish. So lutefisk for your swedey ?

in dollars i believe that he is getting paid about 142,000 per day (with taxes taken out.)