LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena has heaped praise on David Beckham for the positive impact he had on Major League Soccer during his six years in the competition.
The 38-year old former Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Galaxy midfielder will retire from the game after the current season with Paris Saint-Germain but goes out of the game with a plethora of plaudits heading his way, including this from Arena.
"Certainly, he brought recognition [to MLS] around the world. Everyone was quite aware of the fact that we had a professional league in the United States," Arena said.
"He helped elevate the quality of the league, obviously he helped elevate the focus on the league, and the league's growth during that period of time was unprecedented."
Beckham arrived in MLS in 2007 to much fanfare and although his first couple of seasons were unsuccessful, he quickly helped the Galaxy become a force by winning the 2010 and 2011 Supporters' Shields (for finishing top of the table) as well as the 2011 and 2012 MLS Cups.
