David Beckham is staying at AC Milan to pursue his goal of playing for England at the World Cup. The 33-year-old midfielder announced Sunday that a deal had been clinched with the Los Angeles Galaxy to extend his loan contract at Milan until the end of the Serie A season before he will return to the United States. Speaking from Milan in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press-affiliated SNTV, Beckham said he hopes to play in his fourth World Cup at next year's tournament in South Africa. “The obvious (reason for staying at Milan) is giving me the chance to play in the 2010 World Cup,” Beckham said. “I personally have to do everything I can do to be involved in that. Everyone knows how passionate I am about playing for my country and, if it gives me a better chance of being involved in that squad, I'll do anything possible to make that happen.” Beckham has spent two years with the Galaxy in MLS but had hoped to make his loan move to Milan permanent. The two clubs couldn't agree on a transfer fee, so he has agreed to stay at Milan until June 30 before returning to the Galaxy for the rest of the MLS season. After that season ends in November, he is likely to return to Milan either on another loan deal or a permanent transfer. “I just want to help myself now to give myself every chance of being involved,” he said. “That's one of the biggest reasons and what better place to do it than playing with Ronaldinho, Kaka, Pato, Pirlo. There's so many players I can mention, Paolo Maldini. “I'm playing with one of the biggest clubs in the world with some of the best players in the world.” Beckham is leaving his options open when he finishes the Major League Soccer season with Galaxy in November. “Once I finish the season here I'll have a four-week break then I'll go back to LA and play for the Galaxy for the rest of the season, which will be good, it's something I am committed to, and after that we'll see,” Beckham said in quotes released to Reuters. His original two-month loan was due to expire on Monday and the midfielder, who has made a financial sacrifice himself, thanked Milan and Galaxy for making the new agreement happen. “People have always asked me if I regret my decision (of signing with Galaxy),” he said. “Throughout my career and throughout my life I've never wanted regrets. I've said no. At the time I thought it was the best thing to do. “Statistics show that the game has grown (in the US) but it's not going to happen overnight,” added Beckham, who sees himself being involved with the MLS for a long time. “I have an option to own an MLS franchise as soon as I finish playing and I will start that immediately,” he said. Good business sense David Beckham may have had to fork out a large sum of money to clinch his “timeshare” deal but the agreement makes good business sense for the player. Business experts also believe the agreement could sustain his marketability, thereby helping him to recoup some of the “mountain of money” Galliani said the player was giving up to process the “timeshare”. Professor Simon Chadwick, director of the Centre for the International Business of Sport at Coventry University, said the agreement would help Beckham on and off the field. “I think what was in Beckham's mind when he moved to Los Angeles (in 2007) was his brand as a football player was in decline and he wanted to move to the creation of a new brand as a football entrepreneur. “Beckham has now realized his playing career isn't over and this is a way for him to balance his commercial interests with his England and club career.”
