The sun is beating down on the Home Depot Centre, the grinding routine of training is over for another day and David Beckham is making his way to the side of the pitch, looking every inch the modern‑day American superstar.
Outside, on Avalon Boulevard, there are already photographers gathering, just as they do every day when Beckham has driven his car out of the electronic gates that front his house, the "$22m trophy estate" where he lives with Victoria and the expanding family, just a few doors down from Tom Cruise's place, in Beverly Hills.
Despite the soaring temperatures, he is training in a hat, pulled low, over the ears, more in keeping with a wet October morning in Manchester. His boots carry the names of his children and the training vest shows off those lean arms and the elaborate collage of tattoos that snake across his upper body, telling the story of his life and turning his torso into football's equivalent of the Sistine Chapel. Very soon, you imagine, there will be a new addition – provided space can be found – to mark the arrival of his fourth child. Harper Seven was born on 10 July, his first daughter, and Beckham's little girl may join him one day on the A-list Los Angeles circuit. "All I need now is a shotgun," he says, flashing that polished Beckham smile.
Up close, there are the first flecks of grey in his hair, crow's feet at the side of his eyes. He is 36 now, the kind of age when most men – perhaps not Beckham, in fairness – start to feel awkward about going into nightclubs because they know they look like undercover policemen. Back in Manchester his best friend, Gary Neville, three months his senior, is now an ex‑footballer. Paul Scholes, another of the same age, has also retired. Nicky Butt, too.
Beckham's five-year contract with Galaxy comes to an end in November. "I'm just going to have to see how my body feels at the end of this year. I had my injury last year [Beckham missed six months because of a torn achilles tendon] and I'm getting a bit older now. It does take longer to get over games these days."
Apart from Ryan Giggs, Beckham is now the only member of Manchester United's "Class of 1992", the famous FA Youth Cup-winning side, still playing to a reasonably high standard. His gut feeling is that he will carry on. "One, maybe two more years. I'm still enjoying getting up in the morning to go training and, until that changes, I don't see any reason to stop just yet. OK, I still have to play at a certain level, but I think I do that."
Not in England, perhaps, but certainly here, in a league that wants more than to be patronised but which, nonetheless, is generous to a player whose reactions are not quite as fast as they once were – even if that man can still pass and cross the ball as if there were a tracking device in his right boot.
For the past hour Beckham has been pinging around those sumptuous, right-footed deliveries in a training match that helps you understand a little better why his contract is worth $5.5m (£3.4m) a year while Galaxy's next best-paid player (Landon Donovan) is on $2.3m. Beckham does not run so much these days – in fact, he is as mobile as a dustbin at times – yet the play still revolves around him. He has responsibility for every corner, every free-kick and, at the end of the session, he treats us to a penalty shoot-out that could bring a smile to the most cynical observer.
The first is chipped into the top corner, a delicate sand wedge of a shot that leaves the goalkeeper laughing appreciatively then letting out a little yelp of frustration. For the second, Beckham does the same again, only this time with the outside of his left foot. He runs off at this point because the victim of this ordeal is threatening to boot the ball against his behind. But Goldenballs comes back, lines up a third as if he is going to smash it and, once his opponent has taken a step to his right, wrongfoots him with a gentle toe-poke into the other corner, the ball sticking out its tongue as it goes. As we all know by now, the standard of US football – or soccer – will always be held against Beckham, but these are moments when you realise he is on first‑name terms with the ball sometimes.
Plus, when it comes to retirement, Beckham has other reasons for hanging on. The European Championship finals might be out of reach but there is an invitation to play for Team GB in the London Olympics. "I'd love to be involved and, for that to happen, I still have to be playing by then."
Beyond that there is no desire to go into coaching or management. "I love coaching kids but that's as far as it has ever gone. In 10 years it might change but, right now, I'm not looking to go into that side of things. It's not something I think I would enjoy."
Beckham, you sense, has bigger plans. Worldwide domination, perhaps. He has seen how Michel Platini, for one, has moved into football politics, and it appeals. "If you'd asked me at one time, I don't think I would have enjoyed that kind of thing, but I have actually loved it, the ambassadorial roles for the Olympics and the World Cup, the success of bringing the Olympics to London, and the satisfaction of knowing we put forward such a good bid for the World Cup, however disappointing it was that we didn't win. Those are the things I get a buzz from now."
Beckham's face changes a little when the World Cup is mentioned. The smile temporarily fades. "There was so much hard work that went into that bid. Nobody on our side could have done any more, genuinely, and then you factor in that we also had the weight of the Prime Minister and the future king of England behind us. It doesn't get much bigger than that. So the situation we see now ... it leaves a sick feeling in your mouth. It gives you a real sick feeling."
He does not think there is any way there will be a new vote – "the decision has been made now" – but he knows enough to suspect the process was corrupt.
"There's obviously something wrong with the system when you look at the investigations since the vote and some of the things that have come out. At the time you don't suspect it. When people tell you to your face that you have got your vote, you want to believe them. Then the vote happened and, yeah, you start to think 'this is a little bit weird'. It just felt unfair. The decisions have been made and, whether they can be changed, I've no power over that."
On Sunday Beckham for Galaxy played against Manchester City, the last exhibition match of two weeks in the United States for Roberto Mancini and his players. Beckham's view of City is that "if they continue to buy great players they are going to be a threat to any Premier League team, or any team in Europe. And [Sergio] Agüero [City's top transfer target] is a good player. He can come into the Premier League and do really well."
He now moves on to New York to be part of the MLS All-Stars team to face Manchester United on Wednesday. Once more, Beckham believes his old club will begin as favourites for the league. Yet he wants to see how David De Gea, the Spain under-21 international, will cope with the job of replacing Edwin van der Sar. "He's a good goalkeeper who already had experience of playing in a top league but he's got a huge space to fill. Edwin was so successful and did so well for United."
Then there is the fact that Scholes has retired and, as yet, Sir Alex Ferguson has been unable to bring in a replacement. "Scholesy's the one player they will want to replace," Beckham says. "He is such a great talent. I remember when he retired from England everyone wanted him to come back right until the day he stopped playing. Every England manager asked the same question. So he will be missed at United and they're going to have to get someone special."
Wesley Sneijder would be his choice. "He's such a talented player, a great guy as well, and I'm sure he would fit right into a Manchester United team. He could do a job there, without a doubt." And at that point Beckham – footballer, father, ambassador, A-list superstar – was speaking as nothing more than "someone who will always be a United fan".
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