• MLS

Beckham 'considered Brazil switch'

ESPN staff
November 9, 2012
David Beckham was in talks about a move to the Brazilian league © Getty Images
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David Beckham was interested in moving from the Los Angeles Galaxy for a stint in Brazil during the summer, according to former Botafogo defender Carlos Alberto.

Beckham signed a two-year contract extension with the Galaxy in January, while Botafogo landed their top transfer target Clarence Seedorf following his departure from AC Milan.

However, Carlos Alberto insists he was in the Netherlands while the Seedorf deal was being finalised, and says it was revealed to him that the former England captain was keen on joining Botafogo.

"When the negotiation was about to close, I spoke with the president - he and I have a pretty cool relationship," Carlos Alberto told ESPN Brasil.

"I was in Amsterdam in May and an influential businessman, a famous player, came to me at the hotel, saying there was a player interested in playing for a year in Brazil: David Beckham. If it did not work with Seedorf, he had this player to come to Brazil."

Botafogo president Mauricio Assumpcao later confirmed that Beckham was prepared to leave the MLS outfit in order to play for at least one season in Brazil.

"That's exactly what happened, there really was this interest," Assumpcao told Lancenet.

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