David Beckham Joins PSG For Five Months, Pledges Entire Salary To Charity

Chris Wright

31st, January 2013

11 Comments

By Chris Wright

“Paris is shite, the French are all gits, I hate croque monsieurs and The Louvre smells like a ballbag”

As it’s been mooted all morning, PSG’s 4:00pm coffee meeting was indeed hastily arranged to announce the French club’s signing of free agent David Beckham on a five-month deal until the end of the season. Look at him up there, being all handsome and junk.

Excuse us for being cynical, but it’s hard to get overly excited about this one. We don’t imagine for one iota that PSG’s Qatar-based oil daddies have signed Brand Beckham© for solely footballing reasons.

It’s easy to see why he’s viewed as little more than a marketing ploy these days. You only have to look at the furore surrounding his latest move to see that his name still carries enormous weight.

Beckham, as a free agent, could’ve joined PSG at any point over the past few months. Today was chosen for maximum global impact. Nothing is done on the fly with this guy.

He can still go on the pitch up to a point (in a very reduced capacity) but, at 37, how much action can Becks realistically be hoping for? He’s not fully fit and there’s no real void in the PSG first-string for Beckham to fill. Maybe some cameos in the middle? Given he’s only on board for five months, we’re guessing his on-field contributions will be ‘sporadic’ at best.

We’re also keen how Zlatan will react to having to split his limelight 50/50. Stay tuned.

It’s the other side of the game where he comes into his own these days: promoting the “project”, shirts sales, sponsorship deals and all the other various commercial ventures that are necessary when the turnover is so high.

Basically, PSG have kicked their short-term FFP concerns square in the nuts in one fell swoop without paying a penny in transfer fees.

Beckham has confirmed that his wages will be donated to a children’s hospital in Paris, which is an honourable gesture, but let’s be right – he’s going to earn his money elsewhere. Something something charitable donation something something offsetting tax something something.

Oh screw us. We’re just rambling. How can sick kiddywinks receiving a tidy lump sum be a bad thing? We’re the worst.

Bravo Beckham! Bravo PSG!

Posted in Featured, Ligue 1, MLS, Newsnow, Transfers & Rumours

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11 Comments

  1. […] – David Beckham has, as expected, joined PSG on a five-month contract. His salary will go to charity. Read Pies’ take on the whole shebang here. […]

  2. Mr. Chopper says:

    When David was doing the rounds before finally signing with PSG, I read somewhere (no doubt entirely reputable, like here, or teh Graudiad or the Times or definitely not the Times) that pretty much any team could sign him and afford wages of £300k a week due to the amount of sponsorship money he’d be bringing in to the club. Even if they’re only paying him £100k a week and it’s all a publicity stunt or way of bypassing FFP, it’s a tidy sum for the charity.

  3. Bruno says:

    Give the guy a break. He’s 37 years old and will donate his salary. Where are all the other players of his generation? At home getting fat… Becks’s a legend and nobody expects him or any other player to change a team being 37 years old. He could be sleeping or fucking any woman in the world but he’s playing football (with no salary). I bet he would have more assists at Man United than Nani or Anderson if he signed for us.

    Also, what’s wrong with someone being so famous? He was the best player for England and one of the most importat players in Manchester United’s history. Its not like he became famous for appearing on a reality show or for being crazy/stupid like Baloteli.

  4. porcelain sandwich says:

    Far too cynical, this one Pies. Of course he’s not going to be the new big star of PSG, but I couldn’t have given a flying toss until he said he was donating ALL 5 months worth of whatever extraordinarily colossal wage he is on to a children’s charity. Good on him.

  5. Redskywalker says:

    @Bruno, You earned points in my book for that one, great comment, hit the nail on the head!

  6. Pm says:

    I have to agree with the lads here. Far too cynical Pies. Beckham is a class act and deserves respect

  7. gilbert says:

    thinking of p.s.g and childrens charities, any fans know the specific significance of the (what appears to be) a cradle/baby carriage in the p.s.g badge? an odd thing for a club badge, on reflection not the oddest, but still.. je ne comprends pas.

  8. Manouche says:

    The cradle appears in the coat of arms of the city of St Germain En Laye where the club is based. It’s a remembrance of King Louis XIV being born in the castle of St Germain.

  9. Yoann says:

    PSG Means Paris St Germain. St Germain en laye is a city and the logo of the city is a baby carriage (because Louis XIV was born in St Germain en Laye)

  10. LunaVC says:

    People give Becks a hard time when really their attention should be towards the missing man Michael Owen.

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