Beckham likely to bid for Malaga ownership – Report

David Beckham is considering launching a takeover bid for Spanish outfit Malaga which would make him the owner of the Primera Liga club, according to reports.

Qatari billionaire Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani took over the club two years ago but is apparently already looking to sell up.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Beckham is aiming to buy 75 per cent of the shares in Malaga with Alexi Lalas, the LA Galaxy general manager who brought Beckham to the MLS in 2007.

Despite initially ploughing money into the club, Al-Thani recently sold star players Santi Cazorla and Jose Rondon in an attempt to fall in line with the Financial Fair Play rules.

It was not enough to escape punishment from UEFA today, though, as Malaga featured in the list of 23 clubs to have prize money withheld after falling foul of the regulations.

Malaga has been forced to float shares due to mounting debts despite featuring in this season’s Champions League.

Beckham is familiar with Spanish football after spending four seasons at Real Madrid before moving to the US to play for Los Angeles Galaxy. He has played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, and the England national team for which he holds the appearance record for an outfield player.

Beckham’s career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17.

During his time at Old Trafford, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons, clinching the La Liga championship in his final season with the club.

In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid for the Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy, signing a five-year contract with them on 1 July 2007.

While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with Milan in 2009 and 2010.

On 20 November 2011, he joined an elite group of players to have won three league titles in three different countries, when Los Angeles won their third MLS Cup.

 

In international football, Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996, at the age of 21. He was made captain from 15 November 2000 until the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, during which he played 58 times.

He earned a much-publicized hundredth cap against France on 26 March 2008 and became the all-time outfield player appearance record holder on 28 March 2009 when he surpassed Bobby Moore’s total of 108 caps.

With 115 career appearances to date, he has stated that he does not intend to retire from international football. Having missed the 2010 World Cup through injury, Beckham has not played for England since 14 October 2009. He remains 10 caps short of the 125 caps won by goalkeeper Peter Shilton – a record number of England caps for a player of any position.

Beckham has twice been runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 was the world’s highest-paid footballer when taking into account salary and advertising deals.

Beckham was the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches.[5] He is third in the Premier League’s all-time time assist provider chart, with 152 assists in 265 appearances.

When joining the MLS in 2007 he was given the highest player salary in the league’s history, with his playing contract with the Galaxy over the next three years being worth US$6.5m per year.