- Title: CHINA: SOCCER - MEDIA FRENZY AS REAL MADRID'S DAVID BECKHAM HOSTS NEWS CONFERENCE
- Date: 31st July 2003
- Summary: (W3) KUNMING CITY, YUNNAN PROVINCE, CHINA (JULY 30, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. PLAYERS GOING ONTO FIELD 2. PLAYERS WALKING 3. BECKHAM AND RONALDO WALKING 4. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS ON GROUND DOING EXERCISES 5. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS TRAINING 6. BECKHAM HEADING BALL 7. FANS SCREAMING WHILE WATCHING FOOTBALL PRACTICE 8. JOURNALISTS PUSHING TO GET TO THE NEWS CONFERENCE 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAVID BECKHAM SAYING "The training is similar here you know, the players there is a lot of ability in this team, and it's nice to be around the players because they're friendly as well and they're good to me as people. But my message to the fans is: keep supporting us. It's been an amazing two weeks for me, and an amazing week so far for me here. So thank you for supporting me personally and the team as well." 10. NEWS CONFERENCE 11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAVID BECKHAM SAYING "am just looking forward to playing football, you know, the number people are making a big thing of because they also said that I wanted the number seven which I never said I wanted and then they made a comparison of the twenty three and Michael Jordan. But the number 12 was offered to me and you know, I took it, I was offered two numbers of which I chose the number 23." 12. NEWS CONFERENCE 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAVID BECKHAM SAYING: "I think it was always going to be quite difficult for me, because I've never had to learn the language, and now I do. But it's important for me to learn Spanish as quick as possible. The players are helping me, I am helping the players to speak a little bit of English, and we're communicating quite well, on the pitch as well, so it was always going to be difficult, but it's something of a challenge, and it's something I am looking forward to." 14. NEWS CONFERENCE 2.51 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 15th August 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KUNMING, CHINA
- Country: China
- Reuters ID: LVA9OT1V600QC2JV20BGGG5UFHRQ
- Story Text: Media frenzy in southern China as Real Madrid's
David Beckham hosts a news conference
A crowd of Chinese fans watched Real Madrid's
football practice on Wednesday (July 30) in the south
Chinese city of Kunming (pron: koon ming).
As on every morning of their week-long training camp,
David Beckham was the centre of attention.
Since his 35 million euro (40 million U.S. dollars)
transfer from Manchester United, the pressure has been on
Beckham to prove he is not surplus goods in Real's
midfield, already stacked with superstars Zinedine Zidane
and Luis Figo.
Beckham is also attempting to make the tough transition
from the English Premier League to Spain's La Liga, where
many an English star has failed to shine.
Speaking at a news conference after the morning
training session, Beckham said he has been enjoying the
practice with his new teammates.
"The training is similar here you know, the players
there is a lot of ability in this team, and it's nice to be
around the players because they're friendly as well, and
they're good to me as people. But my message to the fans
is: keep supporting us. It's been an amazing two weeks for
me, and an amazing week so far for me here. So thank you
for supporting me personally and the team as well," he said.
In Real Madrid, Beckham will be wearing shirt number
23. He said he was offered two numbers to wear and none of
them were number 7 which he used to wear while playing for
Manchester United.
But the soccer star said he wasn't bothered about it.
Learning Spanish is a bigger problem, Beckham is just
learning and most of the Real players don't speak much
English.
"I think it was always going to be quite difficult for
me, because I've never had to learn the language, and now I
do. But it's important for me to learn Spanish as quick as
possible. The players are helping me, I am helping the
players to speak a little bit of English, and we're
communicating quite well, on the pitch as well, so it was
always going
to be difficult, but it's something of a challenge and
it's something I am looking forward to," he said.
Beckham's full debut in the Real white will come on
Saturday (August 2) in Beijing against a squad of selected
Chinese professionals.
Real hope Beckham's international celebrity will be
one of the keys to open up the Asian market, where his old
club United have reigned.
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