So, who exactly is this guy, David Beckham? Had you heard of him before the movie Bend it Like Beckham became a big hit on this side of the pond? Perhaps you had seen him on Entertainment Tonight with his blonde celebrity wife, Victoria. Spice Girls, them I know, “Futbol” players, well, not so much. But David Beckham is a bona fide International Super Star. People all over the world recognize, Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, Derek Jeter, Muhammad Ali, and David Beckham.
David will wear the green and gold uniform of the Los Angeles Galaxy. It is the expectation of all “Futbol” fans and the financial backers of the sport, that David Beckham, his pretty face and accurate foot will change the way America feels about “Futbol”. I suspect his jersey will sell very well, and I might even look at one for myself. Nothing says success like jersey sales. But it simply won’t be enough. Beckham’s first game for the Galaxy will be an exhibition against a foe familiar to him, Chelsea of the English Premier League, on July 21 in Los Angeles.
He joins a Galaxy squad badly in need of a boost. Los Angeles, which has a 3-4-5 record in the MLS this season, has three exhibitions scheduled before Beckham and new teammates Landon Donovan (another hottie), Cobi Jones and crew, are scheduled to face another MLS game July 31.
“I’m coming there not to be a superstar. I’m coming there to be part of the team, to work hard and to hopefully win things,” he said shortly after signing with the Galaxy.
“With me, it’s about football. I’m coming there to make a difference. I’m coming there to play football.”
Beckham, who already has one youth academy in Los Angeles and another in London, also hopes to raise interest in the sport in the United States to a new level. He acknowledged that his playing in the MLS would not make the sport transcend baseball, basketball and American football, but said, “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think I could make a difference.”
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