Beckham says he will retire after season

David Beckham, whose curling free kicks, rugged good looks and celebrity marriage made him one of the most famous athletes in the world, is retiring from soccer.

Beckham, 38, will quit after playing two more games for Paris St.-Germain, where he added a French league title to the ones he won in England with Manchester United, in Spain with Real Madrid and in the United States with the Los Angeles Galaxy. His achievements on the field and smart branding off it made him a household name everywhere the game is played.

“It’s a good way to go out,” Beckham said in Paris. “It’s every athlete’s dream, every footballer’s dream to go out on the top — on top form or winning a trophy … leaving as a champion.

Beckham’s glory years came at Manchester United, where he won six Premier League titles, two F.A. Cups and the 1999 Champions League title. He joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2003 in a blockbuster transfer worth $45 million, and then went to the Galaxy in 2007, where his mere presence lifted the profile of Major League Soccer.

Beckham also made 115 appearances for England and played in the World Cup in 1998, 2002 and 2006.