Beckham joins PSG, will donate salary to charity

PARIS (AP) -David Beckham pledged to donate his salary to a children's charity Thursday after signing a five-month contract with Paris-Saint Germain, the latest stop on his globe-trotting career.

The 37-year-old former England captain joined PSG after turning down several other offers and pledging to effectively play for free. He was presented Thursday at the French club's Parc des Princes stadium.

No financial details were given as to how much Beckham's salary would be or the name of the charity. The decision was taken early Thursday morning.

"It's something we (decided) together, it's one of the things we talked about from the start. But this all happened so quick,'' Beckham said. "I thought what a great idea it would be, that the salary would go to a children's charity in Paris.''

Beckham's glamorous career has seen him win titles with Manchester United, Real Madrid and the Los Angeles Galaxy.

"Every club I have played for throughout the world, I have been successful with. I have been successful with MU, and I have always said that I would never want to play for another English club,'' Beckham said. "It's the team that I support, that I always dreamt of playing for.''

Beckham recently finished a six-year stint in the United States with the Galaxy. Whether he can still be a force in European football is still uncertain.

"I am very lucky. I am 37 years old and I got offered a lot of offers, more offers now than I have probably had in my career, at my age,'' Beckham said. "I am very honored about that. I chose Paris because I can see what the club are trying to do, the players the club are trying to bring in. It's an exciting city, always has been, always will be.''