Opining on Beckham's move to US

Owen Hargreaves, England and Bayern Munich midfielder for BBC Sport:

"I have played with him for a number of years and one thing about him is he loves a challenge.
He showed that when he left Manchester United for Real Madrid. He went to Spain to experience how football is abroad.
I think it is commendable that people take on these new challenges rather than sticking with a comfortable situation.
Becks still wants to achieve a lot in his career and has set himself goals - this is probably one of them.

"What he brings to a league that is not that popular at the moment is a big name and he is going to be hugely influential. There is a lot of potential there, it just needs people like Becks to promote it.

He is going to be a massive figure, not only in football circles over there but the sporting world. I think he will create a lot of excitement that will be good for the league...So he is going to bring a lot more people to the games and a bigger fan base, not just the football enthusiasts or the kids but being global he will appeal for a lot of people.

"The league has a lot to offer but at the moment it cannot compete with the European leagues financially, but when that changes it will be very interesting to other players.

"Players coming to the end of their contract are allowed to sign a contract with any club in January - that is the rule.

"For Becks this is a new challenge and a new chapter. For anybody that doubts him, I predict Becks will probably have the last laugh."