A number of English clubs would have jumped at the chance to bring Beckham back home to the Premiership. However Beckham has consistently stated that he would find it impossible to face his beloved Manchester United with another club and this stance effectively ended his career on home shores.

There were also reports strongly linking Beckham with a move to Italy, with both Milan giants, AC and Inter, showing strong interest in bringing him on board with the tempting offer of likely Champions League football. In fact, all football reasons seemed to point towards Becks staying in Europe. Save one, his international future.

Beckham was the high-profile casualty of new England coach Steve McClaren’s vision for the future, as Sven Goran-Erickson’s replacement opted to promote younger players to the squad at Becks expense. McClaren had always insisted that the door would never shut on a return for Becks to England’s national team, but having fallen out of favour at the club level, the midfielder had little opportunity to win back a place.

Rumours persist that the decision to move to America and effectively abandon any hopes of a return to the international scene came off the back of a reported discussion with the England coach regarding his future. One can only presume that the definitive answer from McClaren was that Becks’ England career was over, which would be a likely catalyst for him to call time on his career in Europe and opt to wind down his career in the less scrutinised world of American Soccer.

There is, however, a whole other aspect of Beckham’s life that influenced this decision: celebrity. It has often been reported that Beckham’s wife Victoria has longed to relocate to Los Angeles. The ex-Spice girl has followed her husband throughout his career and her career prospects have been restricted by the location of Beckham’s club. Now, as has been much reported, she may use this opportunity to jumpstart an acting/modelling career.

With famous friends like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, a high-profile move to America is the perfect platform for Posh and Becks to launch ‘Brand Beckham’ stateside. The opportunities offered in America are endless for a couple who already make many times more than their already lucrative salaries in endorsements and sponsorships.