Beckham to Sign With PSG

PARIS�English soccer star David Beckham on Thursday signed a five-month contract with Paris Saint-Germain, injecting a heavy dose of celebrity appeal and marketing magnetism to the Qatari-backed French soccer team.

"I'm very lucky," Beckham, 37 years old, told a packed press conference in Paris, saying he had received many offers of positions from different teams even at this stage of his career. "I chose Paris because I can see what the club is trying to do. I am very honored to be part of it."

Beckham said he will play for free and the team will donate his salary to a Paris children's charity, an arrangement he described as "unique."

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David Beckham Moves to PSG

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Beckham "is a very proficient player. I'm sure he will add much value to the team," said club President Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

The move brings one of the sporting world's biggest icons to PSG with the potential to sell more tickets and move team merchandize. Beckham, who made his soccer debut at the age of 17, is as much known for his celebrity lifestyle and marriage to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham as for his sporting prowess.

The couple is wooed by brands around the world. Beckham recently showed-off his tattooed body in a massive underwear advertising campaign for Hennes & Mauritz AB and is due to appear next month in a new campaign for the retailer directed by Guy Ritchie.

"From an athletic point of view, I don't think he will add so much to the team but from a media and economic point of view, it's a great move for PSG and for the French league," said Remi Dumont, a journalist with French football magazine Surface.

PSG has splashed out some $320 million on players since it was acquired by a unit of Qatar Investment Authority in 2011. The new owners have vowed to build up a competitive team able to rival the largest European teams in the prestigious Champions' League.

The team now leads the French league, thanks mainly to the performance of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who arrived in Paris in August. PSG also added Argentine striker Javier Pastore, Brazilian defender Thiago Silva and Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, who worked with Beckham in 2009 at the AC Milan team in Italy.

"Very happy to see Beckham going to PSG and under Ancelotti again," said AC Milan Director Umberto Gandini on Twitter on Thursday. "Great player and great person, he deserves it."

Beckham, who instantly became the top trending item on Twitter in France on Thursday, will play for the Parisian club until the end of the season in June. But he hinted he would be involved beyond the five-month contract.

"I don't see this as a short-term project�I see myself as having a role in the future of this club," said Beckham.

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People take photos of soccer player David Beckham, surrounded by bodyguards, at the Pitie-Salpetriere hospital after his medical examination Thursday in Paris, France. The former England captain is expected to join Ligue 1 club Paris-Saint-Germain.

Beckham, who is widely admired for his capacity to shoot free kicks, became a star in the mid-'90s with Manchester United, where he played at the top level for a decade and became a pillar of the English national team.

He was hired by Real Madrid in 2003 as part of a group of superstars who included Brazilian striker Ronaldo and French legend Zinedine Zidane. Beckham stayed with the prestigious Spanish club for four seasons, winning the La Liga championship during his last stint with the team.

Beckham joined the Los Angeles Galaxy team in 2007, staying with them until December.

Beckham, who has been training in London with Arsenal in recent days, said the deal with PSG was finalized very quickly in the past 24 hours and some details remain to be clarified. He didn't say when he would be playing his first game for the French club but said he thinks he will be in shape "in a few weeks" time.

The signing puts an end to speculation about Beckham and the Paris team. A year ago, he was in advanced talks to join PSG, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement and he opted to extend his contract with L.A. Galaxy for another year.

"I felt last year that I still had something to achieve in Los Angeles," Beckham said. "Now it's the right time."

Beckham said his wife and four children would visit while he is in Paris but would be based in London, where the children are in school.

Still, the Paris fashion scene was already anticipating a Beckham boost from the singer-turned-fashion designer.

"I am very happy to have Victoria back in Paris," said Paolo de Cesare, chief executive of French department store Printemps. "The couple draws so much attention that it can only be good for everyone."

—Nadya Masidlover contributed to this article.