Beckham joins PSG, donates salary

PARIS - Former England captain David Beckham on Thursday signed for ambitious French league leaders Paris Saint-Germain on a five-month contract which will see him donate his entire salary to a children’s charity.The 37-year-old midfielder one of the world’s most recognisable sportsmen with a pop star wife and an estimated net worth of £190 million has been without a club since leaving Los Angeles Galaxy last year.But after a day of fevered speculation, the ex-Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan star was unveiled by Qatari-owned PSG at a packed news conference after a routine medical at a city hospital.“I’m very lucky. I’m 37 and I got a lot of offers, probably more offers that I’ve ever had in my career. I chose Paris because I can see what the club is trying to do, I can see the players the club’s bringing in,” said Beckham, whose deal runs until June 30.“It’s a club that’s going to have a lot of success in the next 10, 15, 20 years.”Father-of-four Beckham, whose family will remain in London, revealed that he would donate his salary during his time in the French capital to a local children’s charity.“That’s one of the things that we’re very excited about, to be able to give a huge sum to a children’s charity in Paris. It’s special,” he said.News of Beckham’s arrival lit up the final day of the January transfer window, a year after the former Old Trafford playmaker was first linked with a move to the Parc des Princes.The deal with “Becks” – who is married to the former Spice Girl turned fashion designer Victoria – gives PSG’s ambitious Qatari owners a celebrity brand with the clout to tap new markets for the club, particularly in Asia.It also provides a welcome boost to Ligue 1, which lacks the same level of star attraction as other major European leagues and has seen an exodus of top players in the transfer window, notably to the big money English Premier League.Beckham insisted he has plenty to offer at PSG who currently top Ligue 1 and are in the last 16 of the Champions League.“And still being successful at 37 years old and still being fit, I can run around and can still play like I was 21.

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Beckham joins PSG, donates salary