Escape From LA

David Beckham's loan move to AC Milan is his escape from LA.

He's meant to go back in March to resume his commitment to Los Angeles Galaxy but I have this feeling there's going to be some maneuvering in the two months at the San Siro that will lead to him becoming a long-term player in Serie A.

Beckham needs proper football if he is to have any hope of landing a place on the England team. Fabio Capello has told him this bluntly, hence the move back to Europe. American soccer just doesn't cut it.

The move to Los Angeles was nothing more than a publicity stunt, anyway.

After thinking his days as a competitive player were numbered following being benched for Real Madird and losing his place on the England team, the only way he could reprogram the public to think he had something left was to become the icon of American soccer.

He was better than a big fish in a small pond - a whale in a teardrop, if you will.

His PR team thought it was the best thing to do to save 'David Beckham' the franchise. It obviously wasn't the best thing for 'David Beckham' the person.

He's evidently had enough of playing the saviour of a sport in a country that never had life in it to begin with.

If Pele couldn't make USA soccer bigger than any of their other sports, Beckham had no chance.

I think he's finally realised he has done this at the expense of key playing years. He should have waited until the twilight of his career to try the America thing.

Like Pele did.