The 34-year-old England midfielder intends to keep playing for possibly another four years and was tonight set to play through the pain of an ankle injury in order to line up for the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup final against Real Salt Lake.

Yet having repeatedly ruled out a career in football management, Beckham has since joining the Galaxy in mid-2007, maintained his interest in investing in one of the American league's franchises.

MLS, formed in 1996 as the first football league in the USA since the demise of the North American Soccer League in the early 1980s, currently has 15 teams with Philadelphia joining the fold in 2010 followed by Portland and Vancouver in 2011.

The door is open for further teams providing they can come up with a USD 40million expansion fee and a suitable stadium for home games and Beckham is hoping to grab a piece of the action.

"I love the game so I want to be involved in the game when I'm finished," he said.

"Owning a franchise is something that's definitely possible and something that I'm really thinking about and I think will happen eventually."

In addition to his ownership plans, Beckham said he was serious about fulfilling his role to develop the sport in the United States.

"I've always said since I came over here that I want to be an ambassador of the game and an ambassador of the MLS and be involved in making this sport, which is the number one sport everywhere else in the world apart from the US," he said.

"I'm not saying that it is going to be the number one sport because there are so many other great sports here in this country but it can definitely grow and it can definitely get bigger.

"I see that it will over the years but it takes time and it's something that I'm looking forward to being part of."

Father-of-three Beckham, who will take a month off following the MLS Cup before joining AC Milan on loan on December 28, also believes he still has a few more years as a player.

"I'd like to say I've got a good two or three, maybe four years left in me," he said. "I'll have to wait and see and take it week by week and month by month and year by year, especially being 34 years old.

"Your bones start to ache a little bit more in the mornings when you're waking up, especially chasing three boys around every day.

"But I feel good and I feel really fit. I'm playing a lot of soccer at the moment and I'm enjoying it.

"Once I finish here I go to Milan and play some more football which will be enjoyable.

"So I think I've got a good few years left."