David Beckham's much-hyped American adventure finally began on
Thursday night when he and his family touched down at LAX airport
before being whisked away in a chauffeured car.
The England midfielder, one of the world's most marketable
sports figures, has joined Los Angeles Galaxy from Spanish giants
Real Madrid on a lucrative deal that will earn him an estimated
$250 million over five years.
Beckham, casually dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved black
shirt, and his wife Victoria, wearing a black dress and her
trademark sunglasses, waved and smiled at a crowd of around 300
crammed outside the airport terminal.
Accompanied by security officials, the celebrity couple did not
speak to the fans and made their way down a staircase and on to a
barricaded sidewalk before being driven off in a black Lincoln
Navigator.
The Beckhams' sons - Brooklyn, 8, Romeo, 4 and Cruz, 2-1/2 years
old - were escorted out of the airport via a different route.
The hype has escalated ever since the January announcement that
Beckham was moving to Major League Soccer (MLS) and his hotly
anticipated arrival has already given the American game much-needed
credibility and plenty of buzz.
Although the former England captain himself has never claimed he
can become the saviour of US soccer, he is determined to make a
difference.
Culture change
"I'm not silly enough to think I'm going to change the whole
culture, because it's not going to happen," Beckham said in this
week's edition of Sports Illustrated magazine where he is pictured
on the front cover.
"But I do have a belief that soccer can go to a different level,
and I'd love to be a part of that. It's not a big brand thing, it's
about me being the ambassador for MLS.
"If I can make people more aware and make kids realise that you
can go into higher levels and make a great living from playing
soccer, that's what I'm going over there to do."
However, Beckham faces an uphill task with his new club who have
won only three of their first 12 MLS games this season to languish
second bottom in the Western standings.
Rubbing salt into those wounds was Galaxy's failure to reach the
quarter-finals of the US Open Cup after losing 1-0 at the lowly
Richmond Kickers on Tuesday.
Beckham, 32, was officially introduced as a Galaxy player on
Friday at the team's home stadium in Carson, California.
He is scheduled to report for training the following Monday
before making his first appearance for the Galaxy in an exhibition
match with FA Cup holders Chelsea on July 21.
(China Daily via Agencies?July 14, 2007)