I'm ready for the LA Galaxy boo boys, says Beckham

David Beckham expects to come in for some criticism and is prepared for booing from Los Angeles Galaxy fans when he returns to the club this summer. Under a unique timeshare agreement, Beckham will stay at Milan until the end of this season before returning to the US to play for LA Galaxy between July and October.

The 33-year-old will then head back to Italy in November to play out the rest of the 2009-10 Serie A campaign with Milan. "The booing, the criticism, I've had it all before," Beckham said. "That side of it doesn't bother me.

"I'm sure there will be a certain amount of criticism because people won't understand why I want to stay here. Real football people will say, 'He's passionate about playing for his country and knows what he needs to do to have the chance of playing in the World Cup'. To make myself available for 2010 I know what I have to do. The manager [Fabio Capello] always said I need to play at the highest level.

"Nothing is guaranteed in life and we have a lot of young players coming through, but I need to make sure I've given myself the best chance."

Asked if he would definitely retire after the World Cup in South Africa, Beckham added on Sky Sports News: "No, I love playing for my country and I want to play as long as possible. I will be 35 by then but we will wait and see.

"A lot of people doubted me when I came back to play here, saying I wouldn't get a game. Hopefully, I've surprised a few people and I feel I've got a good few years left in me."