David Beckhem retiring from pro soccer

What a minute – David Beckham plays soccer?

I thought he was just some hot underwear model with a lot of tattoos married to one of the Spice Girls.

Oh, of course I know he plays soccer – I’m just more interested in his underwear!

This is from The New York Times: David Beckham, the English midfielder who combined devastating free kicks, dashing good looks and savvy marketing to become one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, announced Thursday that he would retire from soccer at season’s end.

Beckham, 38, has played his final season for Paris St.-Germain, adding a French league championship to the ones he won in England with Manchester United, in Spain with Real Madrid and in the United States with the Los Angeles Galaxy. His achievements on the field and smart branding by his camp and the shoe company Adidas made him an icon of his generation and a household name everywhere the game is played.

“If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over one hundred times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy,” Beckham said in a statement. “I’m fortunate to have realized those dreams.”

Beckham’s glory years came at Manchester United, where he won six Premier League titles, two F.A. Cups and the 1999 Champions League title under Manager Alex Ferguson, who coincidentally also retired this month. He joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2003 in a blockbuster transfer worth $45 million.

His next move was to the Los Angeles Galaxy, in 2007, where his mere presence lifted the profile of then-struggling Major League Soccer. And while he angered fans with two off-season loans to A.C. Milan in Italy, he delivered two league championships before leaving last year.

Beckham also made 115 appearances for England, a record for an outfield player, and represented his country in three World Cups (1998, 2002, 2006).