Adjust font size:

LONDON, England -- David Beckham will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season and pursue a new career with Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, he told Reuters on Thursday.

The 31-year-old former England captain has signed a five-year deal and will play his first match in August.

"This week Real Madrid asked me to make a decision regarding my future and the offer to extend my contract for a further two seasons," Beckham told Reuters.

"After discussing several options with my family and my advisors to either stay here in Madrid or join other major British and European teams I have decided to join LA Galaxy and play in the MLS from August this year."

Beckham was further quoted on the ABC News Web site about the reasons for his surprise move.

"I've played now for two of the biggest clubs in the world. I've played at the highest level for 15 years, and now I think I need another challenge," he was quoted

Beckham's future has been the subject of intense speculation following reported remarks by Real's sporting director Predrag Mijatovic, who claimed that the football icon's contract would not be renewed.

Beckham, who became free to talk with other clubs after January 1, had been mulling over a new two-year deal at the Spanish giants and his representatives were still talking to Madrid officials on Thursday before the news broke.

He had been linked with a number of top clubs in Europe as well as the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Beckham has a number of business interests in California and a thriving soccer school.

The former England captain joined Real in July 2003 from Manchester United and was quickly labeled as a `galactico'.

But he has failed to land a trophy at the Bernabeu and under new coach Fabio Capello has spent much of the season on the replacements' bench, starting only seven of 25 matches.

Beckham has reportedly been stalling on a new two-year deal from Real because of his lack of first team opportunities.

Off the field Beckham's profile and commercial appeal shows no sign of waning, but on the pitch the past year has seen the 31-year-old suffer a series of disappointments, culminating in England's exit to Portugal in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

Beckham announced he was standing down as England captain after the defeat and has been left out of recent squads by new manager Steve McClaren.

It is a far cry from his glory days at Manchester United where he won four English Premier League titles and the Champions League as they memorably won the treble in 1999.

But his relationship with manager Sir Alex Ferguson soured during 2003 and he joined Real to much fanfare.