Update

March 9th :: PSG 2 Nancy 1

PSG go a goal behind in the first half - In the second half Ibrahimovic gets two goals back to take the lead the first on 59 minutes, the second just three minutes later. Beckham comes on as substitute at 74 minutes, the score remains at 2-1 to PSG

March 17th :: St Etienne 2 PSG 2

Beckham starts the game and plays the entire match. Paris go 2-0 up away from home, the 2nd from the penalty spot (Ibrahimovic) after just 19 minutes - St Etienne peg them back to 2-1 before half-time, then 2-2 after 72 minutes. Beckham has a free kick to take from the right hand side a few minutes before the end of the game. It is always just fading away from the far post and misses by about a foot - good effort, but think he would have preferred it from the left-hand side.
Next match against Montpellier at home :: Friday evening

Paris St-Germain 2-0 Marseille (again)

Once more Paris take on Marseilles, this time for a place in the quarter-finals of the French Cup. Once again Paris emerge victorious as Ibrahimovic scores both goals for Paris. This time Beckham gets a starting place in the team - see the highlights here:


Next game, an away fixture league game against Reims (Saturday 2nd March)

Paris St-Germain 2-0 Marseille

After a month in Paris, David Beckham finally takes to the field to face his latest test. 

PSG went 1-0 up early in the game when a twice-deflected shot eluded the Olympique De Marseille 'keeper. Beckham celebrated from the bench and was not required to warm up until the second half got under way. He was kept waiting until 16 minutes from the end of the game to make his debut, with the game still in the balance at 1-0. His first touch was typical Beckham as he cleared the ball from his own box under pressure out to a winger - not sure that it was intentional, but the 'pass' turned out to be inch-perfect.

He continued in that vein, one or two way-ward passes, but generally a solid performance playing well to the rear of the midfield protecting the back four.
On this showing, the French game seems to be slower than the Italian league games, sedentary compared with the Premier League, so pace should not be a massive problem. At times the game was played at little more than walking pace.

I am sure Beckham will get a little more playing time in the next game but it remains to be seen whether he will become a regular part of the PSG team. To keep the fans happy, he had a crucial part in the final goal laying the ball off with a delicate touch to the left from a forward position, the receiving player crossed the ball into the path of Ibrahimovic who managed to deflect it goal-wards from point blank range in injury time.
A good night's work for PSG and for Beckham - next game for PSG is a cup game on Wednesday against Marseille again!

Portland 3 LA 5

In an eight goal thriller at the weekend, Beckham scores two fantastic goals to silence the critics.. Coming back from a suspension, Beckham makes up for lost time by netting two - one a 35 yard unstoppable shot, the other a trademark free-kick identical to his last goal for the LA Galaxy a few weeks ago.

Beckham banned

What a thrilling week Beckham has had, but not one he will want to remember. Having had to accept that he will take no part in the GB Olympic squad, Beckham enters the San Jose game with a point to prove. The Galaxy go 1 - 0 down after a lucky early goal, but it is a trademark Beckham free-kick that puts LA on equal footing. However despite going 3-1 up, the Galaxy concede again either side of half-time bringing them back to 3-3. San Jose get another one about the hour mark, and despite two possible penalty area hand-balls, LA can't get a break and lose the game 4-3.
There is another side to the determined Beckham, and we saw that too as in frustration he kicked the ball at a prostrate Sam Cronin, and got into a vocal dispute with players at the end of the match. This conduct got him a one-match ban and an undisclosed fine.

Beckham not in Olympic squad

Despite his sincere hopes, Beckham received a call yesterday from Stuart Pearce telling him that he would not be taking part in the GB football team in the London 2012 Olympics despite being chosen in the initial squad of 35. The 35 have now been whittled down to 18, and although the full squad is yet to be revealed, the three places reserved for players older than 23 have been revealed as Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards.
The reason for selecting Micah Richards ahead of Beckham is apparently because Pearce wants more defensive cover in his squad. Though naturally disappointed, Beckham has stated that he will be keenly following the British team just like any other supporter.
This follows on from a presentation earlier in the year for his 100 caps and surely signals the very last hope that Beckham had of any further involvement in international football. Meanwhile, The Galaxy have settled down a little and are starting to establish an unbeaten run which is a welcome change from their dismal start to the MLS season this year.

Beckham commits to LA Galaxy

The long drawn-out proceedings finally ended when Beckham signed a two-year extension to his MLS contract at LA Galaxy. Over the next two years, David can apparently expect $15m from The Galaxy, and they will no doubt be happy for him to make himself available for the 2012 Olympics in London.

Beckham at Arsenal

With Thierry Henry back on the bench for Arsenal, the very day after Paul Scholes came out of retirement - The Beckham boys are back in the terraces watching the latest FA cup story unfold, this time to watch Arsenal take on Leeds at the Emirates.

Arsene Wenger has also gone public voicing his belief that Beckham could play in the Premier League again like Henry, it was with Arsenal that Beckham trained in one winter break before the World Cup campaign started.

Wenger expressed his admiration for the determination of both men when playing in the MLS play-offs in 2011. He cited the anger and frustration that Henry displayed on losing the play-off, indicating the desire of the player.

Wenger said that both Beckham and Henry show the same desire to play to the best of their ability rather than sit back and take things easy in the MLS.

Henry repaid his old managers confidence by coming on late in the second half and scoring the winning goal as Arsenal beat Leeds 1-0. A fairy-tale ending to the day for Henry - a sigh of relief from Wenger as his team of youngsters showed promise but could not break through the Leeds defence.

Beckham in Manchester

David Beckham is one of two Manchester old boys popping up at Old Trafford today. He appeared in the crowd whereas Paul Scholes made a surprise return to old Trafford, suspending his retirement to help out Manchester United take on Manchester City today.

For a brief moment you wonder whether Beckham would consider putting himself forward if Sir Alex is looking to bolster his squad for the rest of the winter - but the wily Scot is unlikely to entertain the idea for very long, although stranger things have happened ...

The game itself was a good advert for both the FA cup and the Premier League with ManU going three up in the first half after Kompany was dismissed for Man City. ManC pulled two back in the second half and the rest of the game became rather tense. Another long-lost ManU old boy Owen Hargreaves also took the field, but in the blue of Man City.

Man United teased City for the last five minutes keeping possession until City finally got a break and a free kick for a foul on the edge of the box. 92 mins on the clock and a nervy United keep the ball out of the net, the game finishes Man City 2, Man United 3 - ManU go through to the next round of the cup.

No doubt, the Beckhams will be happy with that result.

Beckham to stay in LA?

I'm not sure that staying in LA is the best option for David Beckham's aim of getting a place in the GB Olympic squad, but it does appear that (once again) the speculation of 18 months with PSG has evaporated. This time it is Leonardo himself saying that David will put family first and will not be signing for Paris.

It's not over 'til he signs in one place or another, but LA fans see this as a positive indication that he will stay with The Galaxy who have reportedly offered a one-year rolling deal.

In the meantime, although Robbie Keane initially ruled out a winter move, he is planning to train with Spurs during January, and Aston Villa are apparently set to offer a two-month loan deal to the LA Galaxy striker. Landon Donovan of course, is already in the squad at Everton for the winter break.

Paris Saint Germain

As the January transfer window gets ever closer, it looks increasing like Dave Beckham may be heading to PSG on an 18 month deal at a reported £700,000 per month. French politicians are up in arms at the proposed salary which would make Beckham the highest earning sportsman in France.

Added to this speculation is the distinct possibility that Carlo Ancelotti is also set to join the Paris club as coach setting the scene for an AC Milan 'old boys' network with Leonardo already installed...

I was personally hoping for a return to the Premier League for Beckham, but hopefully if this move comes off, it will present the right platform to launch his bid for a place in the British Olympic team for 2012. Watch this space for breaking news....

UPDATE: The BBC are now reporting that Beckham may be favouring extending his contract with LA Galaxy, which initially looked to be a strong contender - however, taking this step might mean he is in a worse position to get a place in the Olympic team.

Melbourne Victory 2 (3), LA Galaxy 2(4)

In what proved to be the toughest test of the tour, The Galaxy drew 2-2 with hosts Melbourne victory in their final exhibition match, going on to take the victory in the penalty shoot-out.

It was penalties that got them the draw in the first place, both of them sent home by Robbie Keane. Beckham had a chance to repeat his rare trick of a goal from his own half, this time narrowly missing the target.

Berhalter came on for Beckham in the 89th minute, sparing Beckham the penalty shoot-out - Berhalter scored his penalty and LA took the honours despite Landon Donovan sending his effort over the bar.

Donovan is heading for another short stint at Everton in January, Beckham looks increasingly likely to be heading for Paris..

Phillipines 1 LA Galaxy 6

Beckham scores the opening goal in open play (!) in what quite frankly a rout seeing a host of the Galaxy's star players getting goals. Beckham opened the scoring on 20 minutes curling the ball past the keeper from just outside the box. Magee scored a scorcher from Donovan just before the 40 minute mark, and the Phillipines quickly got one back 2-1 to the Galaxy at half time.

Keane scrambles the ball into the net straight after the break, Cristman headed a goal on the hour mark to take the score to 4-1, well out of sight for the Phillipines team. The Galaxy won a penalty on 80 mins and veteran Berhalter took a great penalty to take the score up to 5-1, and Cristman rounded it off on 86 mins, the game finished 6-1 and never for a second did it look like any other outcome was likely..

The 2011 MLS Final LA Galaxy 1 Houston Dynamo 0

The Galaxy settle in quickly and have the majority of the possession in the first half, plenty of chances to get forward but no efforts on target. Beckham does his fair share of set-up play by pinging balls to the front men. The first half ends 0 -0, but LA are looking likely to score at any minute. The Galaxy have Keane, Cristman and Donovan running rings around the Dynamo defence, Magee spurned a chance near the end of the first half. Cristman headed over the bar under pressure, plenty of corners have been forced, everything but a goal..

Cristman was visibly struggling and was replaced by Birchall early in the second half as The Galaxy continued to pile the pressure.

Keane had the ball in the back of the net just before the hour mark, but he was judged (wrongly according to the replays) to be offside, this rallied Houston a little and they turned attackers for a short spell.

However, it was Donovan who broke the deadlock on 72 minutes combining with Beckham and Keane and scoring the only goal of the final and securing the victory for The Galaxy. The Galaxy hold on to take the title, Beckham gets another yellow card...

Any other result would not have been right on the night, had they not found the net, it would have gone to extra time and penalties - The Galaxy out-classed Houston on the night, and have been consistent all season, if ever a trophy were deserved, this one was...

If this is how the five-season experiment ends, finally one can say it ends with success, a league title which incidentally, I think Beckham has won with every team he has played for.

We wait to see what Beckham will decide, bearing in mind the nagging back injury, the burning desire to play in the Olympics and the demands of a young family.

Where will Beckham go next?

As the MLS season comes to an end, speculation is mounting over which way Beckham will turn when it comes to signing a new contract.

I have to say that the easiest option would surely be to stay with the Galaxy, or even switch to a different MLS team with the option of an MLS franchise in the future. Gathering momentum now (thanks to the Daily Mail and various French newspapers) is the proposed move to PSG under former AC Milan head coach Leonardno. Speculation is fuelled by the fact that PSG have new wealthy owners who would like to make an immediate impact by bringing in some big names.

No doubt Mrs Beckham would feel quite at home in Paris, but it is doubtful that Beckham will want to drag the family away from LA, unless it was a move back to the UK.

I am still of the opinion that Tottenham is the most likely premiership team who will be able to swing the deal unless Sir Alex has a sudden change of heart (which is not likely).

When you look at all the options and factor in the fact that Beckham is highly unlikely to get another shot at an international appearance, I believe The Galaxy looks like the option that keeps most people happy. However, there is no knowing what Beckham's personal ambitions are - so there is always the chance of a surprise.

La Galaxy 1 Chivas USA 0

No Landon Donovan for this game, and Juan Pablo Angel's first chance to face the Galaxy since he left, and since leaving turned himself into a regular goal machine.

Galaxy nearly score in the first minute when Chad Barrett rounded the keeper, but had his shot cleared off the line by in-rushing defenders. The Galaxy keep pressuring mainly through Beckham's steady provision of curling balls into the box from the right wing, although most of his moves start from the middle of the park in his now familiar central role. Despite this service, Chad Barrett doesn't manage to create a goal and towards the latter stages of the half, Chivas build up more of an attack and begin to gain ground in the Galaxy half of the pitch. Despite good chances from both teams, the first half ends without any goals.

It was a combination of Cristman and Barrett that broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute, Cristman floating a cross from the right for Barrett to head home, 1-0 The Galaxy, a score destined not to change despite a late rally by Angel whose old team mates were only too anxious to nip in the bud. Galaxy deserved the win, Beckham played another 90 minutes without getting a caution - Beckham however is missing the quality up front that Donovan normally provides, Donovan trained this week, so hopefully will be ready at least by next weekend to take an active part in the game.

CONCACAF on Thursday, final game of the regular season next Sunday against Houston Dynamo away.

NY Red Bulls 2 LA Galaxy 0

Although The Galaxy missed out on the change of clinching the supporters shield on the night, Seattle's loss at the weekend secured a second successive supporters shield win for LA Galaxy.

On the night, LA were missing Keane and Donovan and looked a shadow of the team that normally puts in a decent effort at least. Luke Rodgers and Thierry Henry scored on the half-hour and hour mark respectively, not only that but both NY strikers hit the inside of the post during the match allowing The Galaxy to get away with a defeat rather than a humiliation. On a positive note, that's back to back games in which Beckham has avoided a yellow card..!

Hopefully, the team will find some motivation from somewhere for the play-offs with two more league games to come and a concacaf game taking us up to the end of October.

In the meantime, Leornardo is apparently still pushing to have Beckham at Paris St Germain with some French press speculating that the deal is agreed in principle and just needs a signature. This is unlikely to be accurate, and until David puts pen to paper, the speculation will no doubt continue. There are few that would doubt that this next deal will probably be the last, and the previous requirements to impress the England manager is not so pressing as Beckham is unlikely to earn any more caps.

At this juncture I would say that he will likely as not stay at Galaxy as they are sure to want him - a move to England would be risky, but if it was going to happen, I would say Tottenham under Harry Redknapp. I don't see a bid by any other European club being considered seriously, but you never know...

LA Galaxy 2 Real Salt Lake 1

Headline news today, David Beckham plays 90 minutes without getting a caution - in other news.. LA pull a 2-1 win out of the hat after going down a goal right at the end of the first half. The goal after a largely uneventful first 45 minutes, from a corner kick beautifully headed into the corner leaving Josh Saunders no chance.

In the second half, Beckham finds Chad Barrett from distance in space in the penalty box, the ball looks like it is going to be sheilded out, but Barrett pokes at it with his left boot and scores to level the game on the hour mark.

Just 11 minutes later, it is another Beckham delivery, this time a free-kick that finds a target in the box, the resulting shot hits two real players before hitting the back of the net to ensure LA have yet another home win in what is turning out to be a spectacular season for them.

No sign of back problems for Beckham, and with Robbie Keane back in the frame, The Galaxy are look set to take the Supporters Shield and maybe more..

Alajuelense 1 LA Galaxy 0

Plenty of chances in this game, but it was a first half free-kick that left Josh Saunders clawing the air before picking the ball out of the back of the net. The only goal in a game which was a combination of half-decent football and football nonsense.

The Costa Rican side used a mass of silly tactics to slow the game down in the second half, but the fact remains that The Galaxy could not penetrate the goal. In fact Alajuelense scored twice, but the second was a clear offside. This leaves The Galaxy struggling after a decent start having suffered two straight defeats in the CONCACAF. Beckham got himself another booking and will miss the next game next Wednesday. Now The Galaxy must turn their attention to their visit to The Columbus Crew on Saturday.

Galaxy 3 Whitecaps 0

Beckham back in the starting line-up, three goals and not one of them from Donovan.. Josh Saunders takes charge of goal-keeping duties for the evening.

It was almost up to half time (40 mins) before the first strike came, Beckham finding Keane down the left, crosses into the goal mouth to find MaGee running in for a first-time left foot strike leaving the keeper no chance.

The first half closes with the home side keeping their one-goal advantage.

The second half brings a goal for Keane this time as Jordan crosses from the right finding Keane with lots of space in front of the net - Keane meets the ball with a strong expertly-directed header into the right hand bottom corner of the net - again leaving the keeper stranded.

MaGee gets his second from another Jordan cross, he was probably looking for Keane, but MaGee steps across and heads the ball into the bottom left corner beyond the reach of the diving keeper once more.

This game was as much about Jordan being allowed too much space to get into dangerous positions as it was about anything else. Beckham seems comfortable in his now-familiar central mid-field role, he and Donovan were substituted after the third goal - no doubt to preserve them for upcoming games. CONCACAF champions league on Wednesday, Columbus Crew next Saturday (both away games).