Galaxy goes to see the show
Galaxy defender Tyrone Marshall has never been the subject of a 10-foot sculpture made entirely of chocolate.
But his newest teammate, David Beckham, has. The sweet treat was created in Beckham’s honor during a promotional visit to Tokyo in 2002.
Galaxy midfielder Peter Vagenas has never had a knight of the realm angrily kick a soccer boot across a locker room and open a cut above his eye that needed stitches. But his newest teammate, Beckham, has. Sir Alex Ferguson clipped Becks with the well-aimed missile during a spat in 2003 when things turned sour between coach and player at Manchester United.
Galaxy winger Cobi Jones has had his share of attention during his 11 years with the team, but he has never had 45 paparazzi camped on his doorstep as Beckham has.
On Friday morning, half a dozen or so Galaxy players, including Marshall, Vagenas and Jones, showed up at the swank Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Marina del Rey to hear their new teammate firsthand.
One day after his five-year, $250-million deal to join Major League Soccer’s Galaxy was announced, Beckham talked to reporters on a teleconference call beamed live from Madrid.
Looking less than relaxed and even a bit self-conscious in a stiff-collared white shirt, dark jacket and tie, Beckham sounded genuinely enthusiastic about joining MLS -- and not only because of the money.
“It was a difficult decision but not a hard one to make,” he said of his pending move from nine-time European champion Real Madrid to the Galaxy.
“I’ve played in top-class football now for 15 years for two of the biggest clubs in the world ... so stepping away from that was always going to be difficult.
“But the decision to join the Galaxy wasn’t hard because I’ve been to L.A. and ... I think there’s a huge opportunity out there.”
Echoing the party line established by Tim Leiweke, president and chief executive of AEG, which operates the Galaxy, and by Alexi Lalas, the club’s president and general manager, Beckham said he was coming here to play soccer and nothing more.
Along the way, he said, he will do everything he can to encourage more youngsters in the U.S. to take up the sport, but he is not headed here for a new entertainment career.
“With me, it’s about football; that’s what I’m all about,” he said. “Soccer is growing in the States ... and that’s one of the reasons why I’m wanting to take this challenge up, because I’d like to take it to another level. I’m a player who works hard on the pitch, I’m a team player. People talk about being a superstar, but I love being part of a team that wants to win and wants to play football.”
Leiweke dismissed suggestions that at 31 -- 32 by the time he joins the Galaxy in the summer -- Beckham already is in decline as a player.
“I think people underestimate that this is a soccer deal,” he said. “His first priority is to make this a better team and to make all the players on the Galaxy better players.
“This was not done to go out and make movies or records or ultimately make him and [wife] Victoria the king and queen of the entertainment industry in L.A. and Hollywood. It was done because David is still a very good player.”
Beckham, who is under contract with Real Madrid until June 30, is realistic about how much he can do but is eager to try.
“I’m not saying me coming over to the U.S. is going to make soccer the biggest sport in America, because that’s going to be very difficult to achieve,” he said. “I’d love to say that would happen, but I think there are so many other major great sports in the U.S. like baseball, like basketball, like American football....
“But I think soccer has a huge, huge potential. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t believe in this project. If I didn’t believe I can make a difference and take soccer to a different level, I wouldn’t have signed for five years.”
Meanwhile, Marshall, Vagenas and Jones were left thinking about chocolate, flying boots and paparazzi.
Vagenas, who remembered being at UCLA way back when and watching Beckham’s Manchester United highlights on videotape, said he was looking forward to asking Beckham about the flying boot incident. “It’ll be interesting to get the real story on that one,” he said.
Vagenas also recalled some of Beckham’s national team exploits, especially a 1-0 win that qualified England for the 2006 World Cup.
“I’ve always been a soccer fan, so I’ve followed what he’s done,” he said. “I particularly remember him scoring against my home country of Greece, with that free kick, and they continue to show that over and over again.”
As for the Galaxy being thrust beneath a suddenly larger spotlight -- Leiweke and Lalas already are talking about the team taking charter flights instead of commercial flights, increased security and similar issues -- Jones said it won’t bother him.
“I’ve been in World Cups myself so I’ve seen what it’s like when you have this type of situation with paparazzi all around you,” he said. “But I think for a lot of young players it’s going to be very interesting to see how they handle the situation.”
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