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David Beckham may have had to fork out a large sum of money to clinch his "timeshare" deal involving AC Milan and Los Angeles Galaxy but the agreement makes good business sense for the former England captain.

AC Milan's David Beckham (R) kicks the ball during the soccer match against Al-Sadd at the Jassim Bin Hamad stadium in Doha, Qatar, March 4, 2009. [Xinhua]

The 33-year-old midfielder, one of the most high-profile figures in sport, has extended his Milan loan deal until the end of the Serie A season. He will then return to the Galaxy before hopefully going back to Italy again in November.

The deal allows Beckham to keep playing top-level soccer and boosts his hopes of being involved in a fourth World Cup with England in 2010.

Business experts also believe the agreement could sustain his marketability, thereby helping him to recoup some of the "mountain of money" Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani said the player was giving up to process the "timeshare".

"He's not that young," said Stephanus Tekle, senior consultant at the Sport+Markt consultancy firm. "On the soccer scene there are new players such as Cristiano Ronaldo who are competing with him as a brand, as an icon and for sponsorships.

"I don't think the move will take Beckham back to his marketing peak of six or seven years ago but, along with his wife Victoria, he remains an important figure," Tekle told Reuters.

"It could contribute to him conserving his position."

Professor Simon Chadwick, director of the Centre for the International Business of Sport at Coventry University, said the agreement would help Beckham on and off the field.

"It's a compromise but it's a nicely balanced one that reconciles Beckham's sporting and business interests," said Chadwick.

"I think what was in Beckham's mind when he moved to Los Angeles (in 2007) was his brand as a soccer player was in decline and he wanted to move to the creation of a new brand as a soccer entrepreneur.

Commercial interests

"Beckham has now realized his playing career isn't over and this is a way for him to balance his commercial interests with his England and club career."

The midfielder had said he wanted to move to Milan permanently but had to settle for a loan extension when the clubs failed to agree a transfer fee after weeks of wrangling.

Chadwick said the "timeshare" would allow Beckham to keep up his US interests and explore new avenues for brand development in Europe.

The player runs a soccer school in Los Angeles and has an option to start his own Major League Soccer franchise when he hangs up his boots.

Beckham also endorses Italian fashion house Armani with his wife Victoria, formerly of the Spice Girls pop group.

"This is Beckham carefully managing his business commitments so as not to create problems in Los Angeles," Chadwick said.

"By going to Milan, the European fashion capital, he is reinforcing the non-sporting aspects of the Beckham brand. It couldn't be Wigan, it had to be somewhere like Milan."

Beckham split with Gillette soon after arriving in the US from Real Madrid and his long-standing deal with Pepsi also recently came to an end.

"He's no longer just about being a sexy, young footballer," added Chadwick. "He's not going to get Pepsi and Gillette back but all this will help put him in a position that, when he's 40, he'll have a brand as an influential sports entrepreneur.

"It's a winner for Beckham."

However, the sponsorship returns for Milan are likely to be limited while the player's long-term future remains uncertain.

"I don't think this will have much influence on sponsors for the club," Tekle said. "Companies will not come to Milan just for the six months (of his loan).

"If he comes back in November and the deal is permanent, then that could create new options."

(Agencies via China Daily March 11, 2009)