It all seemed to fit so perfectly at the beginning, the world's most glamorous footballer is signing for the world's most glamorous club in the warm glow of the bright Madrid sunshine. But now the Galactico is fading and No.23 and the name Beckham won't appear together on a Real Madrid shirt for much longer. But it's far from over for David Beckham because he is about to become the highest paid footballer in the world. He signed to play for LA Galaxy for five years and would get 128 million pounds for his travel.

I think it has been, you know, a huge decision of mine and my families' now because we've... we've been living in Spain now for, for 4 years we'll be at the end of this season. And I think that you know I've played enough for two of the biggest clubs in the world, I've played at the highest level for 15 years. Ah, and now I think that I need another challenge. I've enjoyed my time in Spain as it's been an incredible experience for me and the family. You know, the kids have loved the school within, and we bought the house here a year ago, but I think, you know, another challenge has just come up, and I think it's, it's the right time for us to do it."

Football purists say going to America would kill Beckham's credentials as a top-flight player, but he is upbeat about the future.

"Soccer in, in America is the biggest played sport up to a certain age, and that's where I want to take it to another level because potentially, you know, it can go higher than, than anyone could probably believe in, in America, because there are so many great sports in America, there are, there are so many kids that play baseball, American football, basketball, but soccer is, is huge all around the world apart from America. So that's where I want to make a difference with the kids."

Beckham has long been about far more than football. He's a global brand, but he's so far struggled to crack the US. Now all the ingredients are in place. Beckham loves America and so does his one-time pop-princess wife. He already has his soccer schools up and running in Los Angeles, and Hollywood royalty Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are on the Beckham's speed dial.

His new teammates can't wait for him to arrive. "Well, I think it's hard to quantify what David Beckham being here would mean, I still think he is a great player, so from myself's perspective, I just want him to be a good player on the field, and I think he will do that. Above and beyond that marketing-wise it's a dream come true and it is not a 35 or 36-year-old washed-up guy, the guy who can still play, and a guy who still has a lot of appeal, probably the most famous soccer player in the world."

Golden Balls as Victoria calls him must have known as he gave the thumbs-up after training that the road led ultimately across the Atlantic.

David Burton, Sky News.

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1. Galactico: 银河舰队

2.purist: n.one who strictly adheres to purity of behavior (or speech, etc.)

3. credential: n.document verifying a person's abilities and qualifications (i.e. references, letters of recommendation)

4. upbeat: adj. If people or their opinions are upbeat, they are cheerful and hopeful about a situation. (INFORMAL)