David Beckham admits he would love to appear for Great Britain in the 2012 Olympic football tournament - if he is still playing.

Beckham, 33, has a contract with Los Angeles Galaxy until 2012 and has not ruled out appearing or even captaining Great Britain's team at the London Games.

The England midfielder arrived in Beijing today ahead of the Olympics closing ceremony, in which he is playing a leading role in London 2012's set.

He said: "I will be 37 so I'm not sure I will still be playing. But you never know, at the end of the day I'm just going to be happy to be involved.

"I will definitely be there, but whether it's playing or not I'm not so sure about that one."

Beckham said he believed football deserved its place in the Olympics despite the controversy over whether clubs should be forced to release players for the tournament.

He added: "For me, football is the best sport in the world so for me it should be top of the list.

"There are so many other great sports and so many other athletes who have worked so hard to get here, but it's still important.

"There are great players and great teams over here so it's still my number one sport, whether or not it is looked at as different."

Meanwhile Beckham believes Usain Bolt should carry on showboating and said he has been awed by the Jamaican sprinting superstar.

Bolt, who clinched his third sprinting gold and third world record of the Games on Friday night, has been criticised by International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge for showing a lack of respect towards his fellow runners.

But Beckham gave his backing to Bolt saying: "I think he's great. If you're that good - and he breezed through all the early stages and then turned it on for the finals, it's so impressive if you can do that.

"He's so talented and has got so much confidence. It's such a big stage and the whole world is watching, so if you can perform like he has then you can gloat - and it's good to see.