Glowing praise

Having not played a match since signing off with LA Galaxy in the MLS Cup final in November, Beckham trained with Arsenal this week to regain his fitness and received glowing praise from Arsene Wenger.

"This guy has fantastic quality and has done the maximum in his career. Why? Because he loves football. After training he stays and plays," Wenger said.

From the day a teenaged Beckham scored a goal from inside his own half for Manchester United in 1996, most of his career has been spent scaling dizzy heights.

While never blessed with lightning pace, nor the tricks of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, Beckham's tireless energy, trademark free-kicks and ability to deliver crosses on a coin, made him a potent force.

At Manchester United, the club of his boyhood dreams, he was instrumental in six Premier league titles. After leaving Old Trafford he spent four years at Real Madrid, winning LA Liga in his final season before pitching up in Los Angeles in 2007.

With Galaxy he joined a select group of players to win titles in three countries and yet, rather than relax on the California beaches during the off-season, the father of four twice headed back to freezing Milan for loan spells with Milan.

Nothing has given Beckham greater pride, however, than captaining his country and in 2009 he became England's most capped outfield player, edging past the 109 of Bobby Moore.

A Champions League winner with Manchester United in 1999 and twice runner-up in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards, there is precious little missing from Beckham's footballing CV while his off-field appeal continues to soar.

Once nicknamed Golden Balls, Beckham has had films named after him, become an ambassador for his country, befriended Hollywood A-listers and British royalty and even played a James Bond-inspired role in last year's London 2012 opening ceremony.

While the family man clearly enjoys the fame and fortune he has gained from his talent, a passion for battle on a football pitch remains his real fix.

His five months in Paris could be the last stop for the Beckham bandwagon although on Thursday he declared he still felt like a 21-year-old so who knows where the story will end?

A circus it may be, but Beckham clearly remains the ringmaster.