David Beckham: Why Staying Away from France Was Brilliant Move

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David Beckham: Why Staying Away from France Was Brilliant Move
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After English midfielder David Beckham's five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy expired, it seemed as if there was a good chance he would go back overseas. After declining an offer from Paris Saint-Germain, however, that won't happen, and I think it was the right choice.

Many will call Beckham stupid for deciding to stay in Los Angeles rather than signing on with PSG. That is especially true since Scott French of ESPNLosAngeles.com is reporting that the French football club was offering him roughly $1 million per month for 18 months.

Seeing as Beckham had just come off a $32.5 million contract with the Galaxy and made millions upon millions more while playing in Europe previously, money likely isn't even a consideration for him. This decision had a lot more to do with not wanting to uproot his wife Victoria and their children.

Many like to criticize athletes for being money-hungry, but with Beckham's decision stemming solely from a family perspective, you can't help but respect him. On top of that, he can continue to be a large fish in a small pond in the MLS.

If Beckham were to go to PSG or some other European power, there's no guarantee that he would be a starter, especially at the age of 36. In Los Angeles, there is no question that he is an integral player on the team, though.

Also, if he didn't perform up to expectations in France then he would start to feel the heat, but that isn't as big of an issue in the United States.

What do you think David Beckham should have done?

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Beckham certainly didn't make the MLS as some expected when he first came to America five years ago, but to say that he didn't increase interest to some degree at least would be foolish. Beckham, along with teammate Landon Donovan, is the face of the MLS.

With PSG, the novelty alone would have made him a popular figure to start, but the probability of him falling into anonymity at some point would have been pretty high.

Soccer has a small, but loyal following in the United States, and Beckham is clearly the biggest star in the country right now.

If Beckham was concerned with padding his bank account, then he likely made the wrong decision as the Galaxy aren't going to pay him $8 million per month. If he wanted to maintain a sense of normalcy for his family and finish what he started in the MLS, though, then this was a no-brainer.

For many years, Beckham played soccer at the highest level in Europe and he excelled. If he's happy with where he is now and wants to continue doing it, however, then more power to him. Beckham clearly made the best decision for himself and, because of that, I support it.

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