David Beckham to be honoured with statue in Los Angeles
LA Galaxy football club set to unveil statue of former player outside their stadium next month.
Beckham was the first British player to win league championships in four different countries [File: Regis Duvignau/ Reuters]
Former England football captain David Beckham will receive a statue in his honour in the city of Los Angeles, home of football club LA Galaxy.
The midfielder, who was under contract with LA Galaxy between 2007 and 2012, will be the first Major League Soccer (MLS) player to be honoured with a statue.
The statue will be unveiled before the club's season opener on March 2 and will be placed in front of the club's stadium.
In 2007, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star became the first big European name to join the MLS.
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Beckham, whose name had global recognition when he moved to the United States, is credited for increasing the global reputation and overall quality of the North American league.
Following Beckham's transfer to the US, other big-name players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Raul, Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney joined teams in the MLS at the tail end of their careers.
The 43-year-old Briton, who won the championship back to back in the two seasons after he joined LA Galaxy, is still benefiting from the league's improvements as a co-owner of MLS expansion club Inter Miami, which begins play next year.
During his career, Beckham played for Sir Alex Ferguson's successful Manchester United team, which won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 1999.
After Manchester United, he played for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, where he ended his career in 2014.
He was the first British player to win league championships in four different countries.