Beckham says MLS pitches were like 'CONCRETE' when he first joined LA Galaxy

David Beckham has recalled how soccer pitches in the USA were 'like concrete' as he discussed the massive progress made in Major League Soccer since he arrived in 2007.

Beckham's move to California from Real Madrid sent shockwaves through global soccer because of the underwhelming ability of the competition's players and largely poor standard of facilities.

The former England captain's initial struggles to adapt to life in MLS were laid bare in the recent hit-Netflix documentary about his career.

He recalled in one game - as he watched on from the substitutes' bench - how the skill level of the players on show made him question whether he had made the right decision to move to America.

When he did eventually get on the pitch, he was thrown off by the American football lines that were still painted onto the turf. At one point, he couldn't tell whether the ball had gone out of play or not.

In an interview with The Times of London, Beckham has opened up on some of the things that shocked him immediately in MLS but reveals he was always adamant he made the right decision.

'Lines on the pitch, plastic pitches, which then were like concrete,' he says.

'When I first moved, especially from a club like Real Madrid at 31, people were very critical.

'It wasn't professional like it is now. But I saw the opportunities.'

Beckham is thought to have earned an estimated $160million over his five years in LA, at the time making him the world's third highest-paid sportsman behind only Tiger Woods and Michael Schumacher.

By the time he left in 2012, Beckham had made 115 MLS appearances for the Galaxy, scoring 18 goals and winning two MLS Championships.

Beckham's faith that MLS would grow and grow was proven by the clause he had put in his contract