Carson, California - David Beckham is flattered by the “interesting and exciting options” facing him as he prepares to farewell Los Angeles Galaxy and Major League Soccer, the former England captain said on Thursday.
Beckham, who helped raise the game's profile in North America since joining the Galaxy in 2007, will play his final match for the club in Saturday's MLS Cup final against the Houston Dynamo, but has no intention of retiring just yet.
“I've got some interesting and exciting options on the table,” Beckham told a news conference.
“I am very flattered by some of the options that I've got. I still feel I can play and I'm not considering retiring.”
The 37-year-old former Manchester United midfielder has been linked with a number of clubs internationally, with the latest being French team Monaco.
“I heard about Monaco on the way to training this morning from a friend in London who said 'I hear you are going to Monaco’. That was the first I'd heard of that,” laughed Beckham.
But Beckham outright dismissed speculation linking him with the recently reformed New York Cosmos club which will play in the US second tier next season.
“I've been hearing the Cosmos thing for the last two or three years. It's not true. My manager has definitely not had conversations with them, that's definitely not true,” he said.
Beckham did say, however, that he has received some serious approaches and singled out three managers, who have talked positively of him recently, for particular thanks.
“I've still got managers like (Paris St Germain coach) Carlo Ancelotti and (Queens Park Rangers manager) Harry Redknapp and (West Ham United manager) Sam Allardyce... coming out that are saying they'd love me to play and they know how professional I am, it means a lot to me,” said Beckham.
“It is what I have tried to base my career around, over the years, being professional and working hard, so it's nice to be recognised like that.”
Beckham also spoke positively of his six years in MLS, each spent with the Galaxy, but despite the 'end of an era' mood he dismissed the thought of now being an opportune moment to retire from the game.
“I do believe I still have got another challenge inside, that I can still play for, I don't know how many years left. I do still feel I can play,” he said. - Reuters