Babayaro joins Beckham at LA Galaxy

28.02.2008

FORMER Super Eagles leftback, Celestine Babayaro is taking a more high profile route back to top flight football as he teamed up with American Major League side, Los Angeles Galaxy where England international, David Beckham plies his trade.

Babayaro, who was released by Newcastle United in January has joined his former boss, Ruud Gullit, who brought him to Chelsea from Belgium in 1997, at the LA Galaxy in United States.

"First and foremost, I want to get fully fit and get into contention," he told the BBC.

"I'll hopefully do that sooner rather than later and the aim is to help this club achieve something big."

Babayaro's career was badly hit by injury, and he is hoping his luck has changed. "Obviously, I want to put the injury nightmares behind me because it had a negative impact on my Newcastle career.

"I'm really looking forward to returning to the nitty-gritty of football again, this time in the US. "I hope and pray I'll be a lot luckier with injuries."

Babayaro last played for Nigeria at the Tunisia 2004 Nations Cup, where he was sent packing by the then chief coach, Christian Chukwu, alongside three others for breaking camp rule.