By ESPNsoccernet staff
David Beckham confirmed he will play on next season, but refused to be drawn speculation linking him with a move away from the MLS.
Beckham, 36, is preparing with his LA Galaxy team-mates for this Sunday's MLS Cup final against the Houston Dynamo. The midfield star insists he is not yet ready for retirement, with speculation continuing that Paris Saint-Germain are interested in his services.
"I know that I'm not ready to finish yet," Beckham told 710 ESPN radio. "I've said all along, every team I've played for, I've always honoured the contract I've signed. I've said to my friends and I've said to my fam ily, at the end of the day, I need to see where I'm at physically after this season because after having an injury like I did a year and a half ago with the ruptured Achilles, it takes its toll.
"I'm 36 years old. I have to see where I am at the end of this season, take a break and see where my head's at and where my body's at. But I love playing the game."
Beckham returned this campaign to play 26 games for the Galaxy, picking up the MLS comeback award in the process. The former England captain says regardless of whether he is back in 2012, he is pleased with his time in the United States.
"It turned out exactly the way I wanted it to, especially off the field, growing the game in this country and seeing the league getting bigger," he said. "Throughout the world, the MLS is known now. It wasn't five, six years ago. I want to win a championship. I came here as a soccer player, and to be successful as a soccer player as well as an ambassador to the game.
"What's not to enjoy? To live in a place like Los Angeles where the weather is like nowhere else. I've never lived anywhere like here. People have treated us so well since we've arrived. To be able to bring up three boys in a place like this, where they go to school in T-shirts and shorts, and they come home and can go to the beach or jump in the swimming pool, it's a great way of life for them. We've had so much fun while we've lived here and we'll continue to have fun while we live here."
A win on Sunday would certainly provide the perfect end to Beckham's MLS career if he opts to play elsewhere next term, but the midfielder claims the match carries no added significance for him in that regard.
"I need to win every game," Beckham said. "It doesn't matter whether it's a final, whether it's a friendly, whether it's a game I'm playing with my kids, I want to win. I'm a competitive person. I've always been successful where I've played and I think I have been suc cessful in many ways, but people look at championships and silverware. I want to win this game on Sunday."
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