Part 2 of David Beckham's interview with Football Focus aired today. He talks about all things Manchester United including his recent return to Old Trafford to farewell the fans. For those of you missing the old hair cut - this clip is pre-snip! You can view via the BBC site or on You Tube

The Sports Industry Group who organise the Sports Industry Awards have posted the following clip on You Tube. It has both tributes from Tony Blair and Sir Alex Ferguson and considerably more of David Beckham's award presentation and acceptance speech, than in the Real Madrid clip posted earlier, as well as the Reuters interview.



I have added a few more photos to the gallery, mostly just replacing lower quality photos with better quality larger ones.

Ryan Giggs is interviewed in today's Mirror and comments that the celebrity lifestyle was not comfortable for him but he said of David Beckham

"Becks came to a similar crossroads not long after me, but he was more naturally outgoing than me and seemed to enjoy the limelight more than I did.

He was being followed everywhere when he first started seeing Victoria, but he didn't mind it at all. I think he liked it to some degree.

But I will never knock Becks for that, because it never affected his football. I know for sure football came first for him, and if he felt the showbiz lifestyle was affecting his game, he'd have stopped straight away.

But he carried on performing brilliantly, so why should he stop doing the things he enjoyed? You won't see any player work harder on their game than Becks - and it showed."

It's a shame that so many of the pundits have been so critical of Becks celebrity over the years because as Giggsy says, he has always been a total professional and put football first.

Here's another interview with Becks from the Sports Industry Awards that showed on GMTV. He talks about his new hair cut amongst other things! It's very cute! The first few seconds are fuzzy but after that it improves :) I've also added a few photos of David and Victoria Beckham leaving the awards ceremony to the gallery



The BBC have an interview with David Beckham online here

Have a great weekend -- Anna

Update - Real Madrid have a free clip of David Beckham receiving the award for his outstanding contribution to British sport online here. I have updated the clip I posted on You Tube to include it, for anyone having any difficulty viewing it via the official site.

David Beckham also spoke with the press after he was honored at the Sports Industry Awards last night. You can view the Real Madrid clip as well as short interview clips from sky news and Reuters on you tube -

Becks in the headlines

There are a lot of stories in todays press about David Beckham here are a few of them -

Becks 'proud' of England's grit against Andorra
Source: ESPN - there is mention of his injury in this report and Becks says he hopes to return in 10 days to 2 weeks.

Beckham: I still want to play for England
Source: The Telegraph

Blair backs battling Becks
Source: The Sun

England have passion, says Beckham
Source: The Guardian

There are also more photos loaded in the gallery.

(Reuters) David Beckham won the Outstanding Contribution to British Sport accolade at the 2007 Sport Industry Awards last night. Photos from the event are in the gallery.

The award was presented by Thierry Henry and Sebastian Coe.

Prime Minister Tony Blair paid tribute to David Beckham's contribution to British sport saying, "In a world where celebrity comes too easily, David deserves his fame."

"The phenomenal interest in his move to the United States is a reflection not just of his talent but also of his understanding of the importance of sport as an industry."

"He's been a huge cultural icon for our country but most of all he plays football brilliantly and whenever he wore the England shirt he wore it with pride."

---

Sir Alex Ferguson also paid tribute, he described David Beckham, who he brought through the ranks at Manchester United, as a 'fantastic player'.

He said: "I think it's a wonderful achievement and well deserved. David's been a credit to football since he was a boy when he came to Manchester United at the age of 12."

"I always remember the little elfin face, five feet nothing and then he grew into a fantastic footballer."

"He's a credit to the game and a credit to Manchester United."

---

David Beckham was the first individual to win the award with London 2012 (2006) and England Rugby (2004) among the previous winners.

David Beckham speaking at the ceremony said, "Throughout my career I've worked hard because you get nothing without working hard."

"But I've also been blessed to play for two of the best clubs (Manchester United and Real Madrid) in the world and have also played with some of the best players in the world."

He also talked about England saying, "The biggest honour in my career was winning the England captain's armband and giving that up has been very difficult."

"Not playing for England has also been very difficult, but I'm always available for my country."

"But if I never play for my country again I've lived my boyhood dream of playing for my country and captaining my country."

Becks also defended the England team, insisting they do play with passion but refused to be drawn on the question of whether the pressure England managers face is fair, full comments here.

Photos show Becks was rocking a new "do". So what do you think of the new hair cut?

Update - David Beckham will attend the Sports Industry Awards tonight at Old Billingsgate in Central London according to the awards website. Any photos or details will be posted after the event.



The David Beckham Academy announced today that it is joining forces with Findus Mega 03 to help promote healthy lifestyles in children and adults. The press release said "Findus and David Beckham Academy share a common interest - both are striving to improve the nation's nutritional knowledge. Findus Mega 03 is a supplement that's taken as an easy-to swallow capsule. It's is designed to improve a balanced nutritional diet."

It is available on-line through the website www.megaO3.com, which is also running a contest to win a trip to the David Beckham Academy.

David Beckham was quoted in the press release as saying -

"As a young boy I attended the Bobby Charlton Soccer School with dreams of becoming a professional footballer.

The experience changed my life, as I learnt from the best coaches and got to meet football heroes such as Bobby Charlton.

But sports science has moved on so much since my early experiences and at The David Beckham Academy we know that teaching children to become more active means more than just drilling them on technical skills.

To maintain fitness throughout life, whether you are an athlete or not, you need to consider a balanced diet, which is why MEGAO3 Omega-3 is a good fit for what we teach at the Academy".

Source

As previously posted there is an article about David Beckham's style in the April edition of French Vogue. There aren't any new photos with it but they have used some very nice ones. A big thanks to the kind Becks fan who has shared their scans with us. They are in the gallery.

'Sack Mac and bring Beckham back'

Last night England played Andorra in the second of this week's Euro 2008 qualifiers. Andorra has a total population that could fit into Old Trafford with seats to spare .It's football team boasts only one full-time professional.

England ran out winners 3-0 but this was a poor result against a side ranked 163rd in the world. It took 53 minutes for England to open the scoring and the 16,000 England fans who had travelled to the game used most of them to 'express' their unhappiness with the England team and most especially its Manager. The chants included "Only one David Beckham" and supporters held up banners such as "Sack Mac and bring Beckham back".

Although a win was salvaged there were still chants of "We still want McClaren out" at the end. If McClaren took a step towards the exit door on Saturday after the bore draw against Israel it would be fair to say that he took several strides towards it last night. You can read further details in The Sun online here. Coverage in The Mirror, The Times and in The Scotsman.

A special edition of David Beckham Instinct called "Intense Instinct" has been released in Romania and other select european markets. The promotional material used to date features the same photo used for the launch of Instinct in the US but without the Instinct bottle displayed, click on the thumbnail at left to view a larger version. I am still hoping we might see a new "Intense" advert. The special edition will be released in the US at the beginning of May, more details on the fragrance are online here. You can view the packaging which is quite sharp, just click on the thumbnail below.

On the subject of perfume Sean P. Diddy Combs has been bragging that his fragrance "Unforgiveable" smells better than David Beckham's "Intimately" cologne, saying "I smell better than Beckham" - for more on this and a little on his night out with the Beckhams see The Sun story and also you can view a clip and interview where Diddy describes his friendship with Becks at ITN. He said "We just check on each other, make sure each other is all right. We can relate to each other, so it's a real natural relationship. It ain't nothing for the press or the media, it ain't no hype or nothing, it's just two guys that kind of get along all right. A lot of people you meet, they ain't really real, but he's real".

Injury Update

David Beckham trained in the Gym again today and Marca reports that his recovery has slowed, full story here. Becks has indicated he is targetting the game against Osasuna as his recovery goal and that he still hopes to help Real Madrid win a title before he leaves. I know we all hope that can happen for him too!

David and Victoria Beckham dined at Nobu in London last night and then went on to the Automat restaurant/night club where they met up with good friend Sean P. Diddy Combs who is touring with Snoop Dogg. In an interview with The Sun, Diddy said, "David is a very special man", aint that the truth! For the rest of his comments see the full story here.

Photos from last night are in the gallery. I have also added some better quality untagged photos of Posh and Becks from their Saturday night out at Scotts.

Sport Magazine Interview

Two weeks ago David Beckham gave an interview to Sport Magazine which was quoted in the media. Today, a very kind fan of David Beckham's has shared the link where the full magazine and the interview with David Beckham can be viewed online. I really appreciate it because I had searched and searched for this elusive Sport Magazine and drawn a blank so a big thank you! Click here to view the magazine. You can zoom the pages and/or download the pages you want as a PDF file I used this option to read the interview, as it's a really good interview and the media only reported a small amount of it. The pictures used are from the Adidas -'impossible is nothing' campaign. If anyone has any trouble with the interface or seeing the interview let me know and I will try to help.

David Beckham exercised in the Gymn again today according to the Real Madrid official site but he hasn't been on the pitch since last Thursday, I hope his recovery is still progressing well, as being injured is always frustrating.

P.S I have added some more photos from last night of David and Victoria Beckham and friend leaving the Automat Bar to the gallery.

Here is a great compilation of David Beckham's free kicks to get your week started! A big thank you to Sokhangoo who added it to You Tube.



In a further twist in the Real Madrid to play LA Galaxy story that AS.com published and LA Soccer News reported as being untrue, President Calderon has told the official Real Madrid website that a tour to the US is being planned for June. However, clearly it is still in the planning stages and we'll no doubt hear more if and when fixtures are confirmed, story here.

According to Mr Paparazzi, David and Victoria Beckham dined with Gordon Ramsay at Scott's restaurant in Mayfair, London last night. Pictures in the gallery.

Steve McClaren moved a step closer to the exit door when England drew nil all with Israel last night and David Beckham moved a step closer to a recall. England are third in their qualifying group, three points behind second placed Russia and five points behind Croatia with seven games remaining. This means that their qualifying campaign from this "easy" group is now somewhat shakey which in turn increases the likelihood that David Beckham may be called back into the squad for the qualifier against Estonia in June. Still a week is a long time in football and more than 2 months is a near eternity, so we will have to wait and see.

Finally, the Sunday People tabloid is reporting that David and Victoria Beckham will throw an american themed farewell party before heading to the US, full story here.

David Beckham was interviewed by the BBC last week when he launched the David Beckham Academy 'School Zone' website and it aired today on Football Focus. You can watch the interview online here it runs just over 8 minutes and cover some interesting topics. Becks is, as always, very classy in the way he fields questions about McClaren and his continued availability for England. I have also added the clip to You Tube for anyone who doesn't have Real player. The first 20 seconds are very fuzzy but after that the quality is ok.

I was in two minds about writing on events of the last 24 hours, the comments made by Pini Zahavi have already been blown out of all proportion by the hacks in the british media and I was hesitant to give the story any more mileage by dwelling upon it.

However, < sarcasm > showing all the intelligence and common sense that the media is known for< /sarcasm > the cheap shots by Zahavi have morphed into many ignorant and unfounded shots on David Beckham. Zahavi's comments coming on the eve of the Israel England Euro 2008 qualifying match were all to transparent in purpose and were delivered with all the subtlety of a brick through the window of the England team's hotel.

I am not practised in the art of psychological warfare but everyone and their granny, can see that if one of your opponents country men approaches the media on the eve of an important match to say that at the world cup you gave 30% effort and to make a few other remarks on a par with "neener, neener, neener" that it just might be a weak attempt to throw you off your game. In my opinion, Sven Goran Eriksson didn't tell Zahavi their was jealousy in the camp, I think he told him that the trouble for any England team was that they had to not only beat the other side but also Fleet St. I think Zahavi might have been privy to or observed himself, the effect of the pressure from the vicious british press pack and the freezing up at crucial moments that it can bring on. I think his actions were quite calculated and that judging by the press response, sadly right on target. When Rio Ferdinand, one of Zahavi's clients returned from the world cup, he would not leave the house for the first week, he was too ashamed. It would be naieve to under-estimate the very real effect the brutal media coverage has on national team players. If you can make a team fear losing enough, that fear will often times convert into the chronicle of a failure foretold.

The fact that Zahavi's low blows could be met with such acceptance by the british press comes as no surprise. It was a story that would be good for circulation and money is what matters, most british newspapers are owned by Australians after all. The aspect of the coverage I found most disturbing, was that stories began to appear that blamed David Beckham for the other players supposed jealousy. One man, an agent in a sport where agents are infamous for their lack of scruples, makes an accusation, unproven and with an obvious agenda and yet the british press are so eager to criticize David Beckham that they do not look at the motives or credibility of Pini Zahavi, no, they instead turn on a man who was a faithful and loyal servant to England and who never wore the shirt with anything less than 100% passion, pride and committment.

Were the players jealous of David Beckham? Were they jealous that he was the british media's favourite whipping boy? Did they wish the newspapers would invent stories about plots to have their wife and kids kidnapped? Were they jealous that they didn't get the special security treatment that comes packaged with the opportunity to genuinely be worried every day that someone will hurt one of your children? I don't know. I think it is vacuous to assume that they would all be jealous of David Beckham. Some, might envy the money, although they are all rich men and one or two might envy the fame, although many of the players have seen enough of the spotlight to not want it to shine as brightly on them as it does on David Beckham. Fame is a double edged sword and members of the England national team are familiar enough with its pros and cons to know that. Still it is in human nature to be jealous, jealousy can sometimes be present between friends, so let's for a moment allow that there might have been some measure of jealousy from some members of the squad. Even if this were the case, it is unlikely that any member of the squad would let this over-ride their own self-interest and so I think it is absurd to suggest that jealousy would cause players to pass on a chance to win a World Cup.

The only thing more ludicrous than this, is the suggestion that David Beckham should be blamed for the reactions of others to his success. David Beckham is a lad from Leytonstone who through hard work and despite certain obstacles, the media looming large amongst them, has achieved his dreams. He has had a long career at the top, he has not self-destructed, he has kept a cool head, navigated all the pit falls of fame with a steady hand, stayed true to who he is and focussed primarily on his sport and his family. He is to be celebrated but the british media for whatever reason prefers to criticise, proving only that they are most certainly jealous of David Beckham far more so than any of his team-mates have ever been.

Sven Goran Eriksson has issued a public statement in response to Pini Zahavi's comments regarding players being jealous of David Beckham,(Source), he said "Recent comments made by Pini Zahavi unfortunately convey the quite incorrect impression that I discussed confidential matters relating to England team selections, strategy and squad morale with him. I wish to deny this publicly in the strongest possible terms. The quotes attributed to Mr Zahavi are all clearly his own opinions and do not accurately reflect my own views."

John Terry, England captain also 'rubbished' Zahavi's comments, which were undoubtedly deliberately timed with the intention of upsetting the England camp, (Source), he said -

That's rubbish, basically. When Becks was captain things were fantastic in the squad, he got everyone together and everyone loved him being captain and I'd like to think it's pretty much the same with me now

The BBC are reporting that Israel are delighted by Beckham's absence. Retiring Israel player, Eyal Berkovic, commented on David Beckham absence from the squad since last August, saying "It was a big mistake to leave him out. Any England side will miss Beckham, he has been a big part of the team for the last 10 years. I think they miss his free-kicks and corners - they are the best in the world and in modern football it is very important to have a player like that on the pitch. Every time he gets the ball something is likely to happen." Full story here.

Pini Zahavi, the Israeli agent of Rio Ferdinand and close confidant of Sven Goran Eriksson has given an interview to hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, in which he claims that Englands exit at the quarter-final stages of last years world cup was due to key players being jealous of David Beckham. The following papers have details of his comments and commentary -

Envy over Beckham led to England failure
Source: The telegraph

England face threat of an earthquake in football
Source: The Independent

McClaren will be finished if England loses, warns Zahavi
Source: The Times

Please keep in mind, when reading these stories and the countless others that will undoubtedly circulate, that these comments have been made to coincide with the England - Israel euro-qualifier. That Zahavi has a very obvious agenda. That Sven Goran Eriksson is quite capable of speaking for himself. That "super-agents" within football are known for their lack of ethics and decency and that Zahavi has guaranteed far more attention for his comments, especially from the British press, by playing the "Beckham card". I appreciate that everyone will have their own opinion but please do remember the context.

Alexi Lalas Interview

Alexi Lalas, President of the LA Galaxy, has given a pre-season interview it contains many interesting comments amongst them was this gem -

Question: In talking about Beckham, what do you think some of the misconceptions are that he is going to bring to the game here and to the Galaxy?
Answer: He is one player, and this is not an individual sport, this is a team sport. We're not going to win every single game every time he steps on the field. He's not going to score goals every time he steps on the field. The reality is, there is almost no way for him to live up to the expectations that have been put on him. This is also a life that he has been living for many years now so he understands the pressure and he understands that it is very difficult for him to individually or with the team he is playing for to live up to those expectations. The most important thing for us is that when he does arrive I want him coming into a team that is already successful. I want him to come in and augment this team and make us just that much better than we already are. I don't want him to come in and be viewed as a savior, I don't want him to come in and have any additional pressure to where he feels he has to carry this team. If anything I want the pressure to be that he wants to make sure he continues the success that we have already had. That comes from once again having a successful first half of the season.

Shirt Sponsor

A month or so ago it was reported that Citibank and Herbalife were competing to be shirt sponsors for LA Galaxy. It has been confirmed this morning that Herbalife have been the successful bidder. Details here.

Finally, a couple of days ago I mentioned that David Beckham was featured in the April Edition of French Vogue. I would like to thank Madeleine a big fan of Becks for letting me know that the magazine contains an article on David Beckham's impact as a style icon rather than an interview or a new photo shoot. We are working on having scans hopefully sometime tomorrow!

Last Sunday I posted an interview given by David Beckham about being a mentor to Henrietta Brockway, up and coming golf star! Isifa had some photos of the pair (sadly with a very obtrusive watermark) still I've added the pictures to the gallery. The original story from The Guardian can be viewed here.

Todays training report including more photos of David Beckham can be seen on the official site. Becks and Reyes continue to work out separately from the rest of the squad and for shorter sessions under the close supervision of coaching staff but it is clear from the report and photos that David Beckham and Antonio Reyes, who are sporting matching bandages, are jogging comfortably and recovering well.

As.com reported earlier in the week that Real Madrid would tour the US at the end of the current season and play a match against the LA Galaxy. However, there has been no report of this from any other source and now it would seem that the LA Galaxy officials have denied it, details here. So unless we hear further news, I think it is best to assume that it's not happening. We won't need to stock-pile tissues for the event, after-all.

Antonio Banderas Becks fan

In an interview with The Times (Source) Antonio Banderas was asked about David Beckham leaving Real Madrid and said -

I think he’s a great player, I really do,” Banderas says. “Not like some people say, because he’s handsome and takes care of himself. No, he’s a real player . . . I think he should have stayed.

A big thank you to Diane for scanning David Beckham's scouting report that appeared in the centre of the April Sports Illustrated kids magazine. Just click on the thumbnail at left to view the full size scan.

In other US related news, Adidas will unveil a new website April 7 and details of the MLS team kits including LA Galaxy. You may have noticed that Adidas have been promoting David Beckham's range of casual wear and as a result a lot of newspapers today are carrying pictures of Becks modelling some of the clothes. High Quality full size versions of the pictures can be seen here. The pictures are not new they have been out for months!

Injury Update!

Great news! According to AS.com David Beckham is recovering well and may be fit to play for Real Madrid against Celta! They report that he and Antonio Reyes have worked in the Gymn and also on the pitch for the last two days and that they have both been progressing well, which may mean that their return to the team will be accelerated! This is great great news, as David beckham will be keen to help Real Madrid challenge for La Liga. Full Story. Update - the reports from AS.com are now echoed by the training report on the official Real Madrid website.

Finally, Michael Robinson, a football pundit in Spain, has given a good interview about David Beckham's decision to go to the US read it here.

Update - March 22: It has now been reported that LA Galaxy officials deny any match is arranged with Real Madrid details here.

AS.com reports this morning that Real Madrid and LA Galaxy will play a friendly. The team will travel to the US on June 19th just 2 days after La Liga is complete. David Beckham will still be under contract with Real Madrid and will play for a spell with both Real Madrid and for LA Galaxy during the friendly. AS reports that this will be a fitting send off for Becks. Personally, I think it will be very touching to see his two "families" coming together for a match as he says good bye to the old and hello to the new, although I know such sentiments won't be the motive, details here.

David Beckham backs England

David Beckham attended the Bristol City Academy yesterday to launch the website School Zone a "virtual" extension of the David Beckham Academy programmes (see the prior post for details). While he was there he took some very cute pictures with Casey Purnell (pictured left) on her mobile, which really made her day for more on this and what the children said about their surprise visit from Becks click here. David Beckham also spoke with journalists during his visit and backed England to qualify for Euro 2008 being the true patriot that he is, full story here. He also spoke at length with The Guardian about what his work with children through his Academies means to him -

"Football and sport can be a great vehicle to encouraging kids to learn more about teamwork, health and nutrition," he says, "and it's important that they come away learning that everyone has something to contribute."

Finally, David Beckham is in the April issues of both Sports Illustrated Kids edition and the french edition of Vogue. I hope to have more details later today, but do look out for them at your local newstand.

The first of the photos (via the BBC) from today's launch are in the David Beckham Academy gallery

You can also watch a video of David Beckham's visit courtesy of the BBC click here

David Beckham launched a new website called School Zone today. It is an extension of his David Beckham Academy in London and provides coaching advice to students and teachers in the UK.

David Beckham, paid a surprise visit to Bristol's City Academy School today and said:

"I have seen first-hand how boys and girls respond to the coaches at the academy.

"I am extremely proud of the work we have achieved to date with schools and community groups who visit the academy for free and I am pleased that now every school will get the chance to sample what we provide."

You can read the BBC's report of his visit here. The website can be accessed from David Beckham's www.thedavidbeckhamacademy.co.uk website which has had a great re-make and has additional info about Becks online here. It also mentions that a blog will be coming soon and that Becks will use the site for exclusive updates! (Source)

David Beckham attended tonight's game at the Santiago Bernabeu and will have been happy to see his team-mates score an important victory. This takes Real Madrid into third spot in La Liga with Valencia having lost yesterday and means that they remain five points behind leaders, Barcelona. There will now be a break in La Liga while Euro 2008 qualifiers are held over the next week and Real Madrid will play again on April 1 when they will face Celta away. So far there has only been one photo of Becks in the stands but hopefully more will follow, it's in the gallery.

There is a nice article in this morning's Guardian about Mentor's and their proteges. It features a piece on David Beckham and Henrietta Brockway a young golfer on the rise. Full story here It is obvious that Becks takes a lot of pleasure from his involvement in his Academies and the opportunity to work with and inspire young people and in turn I think that says a lot about what a special person he is.

David Beckham is also an inspiration to his team mates. In a recent interview with FHM Iker Casillas named David Beckham as his favorite style icon and fashion influence!

Here's hoping Real Madrid win tonight. As it is a home game Becks may be there to cheer the team on. Hala Madrid!

Top of the morning to ya :) If you celebrate St Patrick's I hope you have a great day. If not, I hope you are having a nice weekend!

After watching David Beckham's return to Old Trafford on Tuesday night I seem to have been hit by a bout of nostalgia, so I have added some photos to the Manchester United gallery and also to the early career gallery in the Manchester United album.

Also, you can read a few additional quotes from the interview Becks gave to Sport Magazine yesterday online here. Becks talks about his fitness level and also defends the quality of football in the MLS.

Finally, there is a photo of Becks meeting Les Luthiers a band of musicians and comedians from Argentina at the club yesterday on the official site (scroll down)

According to Teamtalk David Beckham has given an exclusive interview to Sport Magazine, details here. He is quoted as saying -

On an England recall

"I would walk back from the United States to play for England again," he said.

"I am sure if I am doing well over there, it will not go unnoticed.

"I will always be available to play for my country if I am needed. I am a fit person and a fit player.

"Getting a recall is not my decision is it?

"If it does happen, then amazing. But, if it doesn't, then I am honoured to have played the games I have played, and to have captained my country so many times."

On choosing to go to the US ahead of other offers -

"I don't really want to name the clubs I spoke to, because it wasn't only in England - there were two big clubs in Italy, and one big club in France as well, and they were all very tempting.

"But I have always said that I am a Manchester United fan - that is how I was brought up, and that is how I will always be.

"I feel so passionate for United, even now, that it would have been virtually impossible for me to play for another English team.

"They are my team and I don't think I could have brought myself to play against them for anyone."

On his time at Real Madrid

"We might still win something this season, and it would be amazing to go out on a high,"

"But if that is not the case I won't look back and think of my time at the club as being anything other than successful.

"I have spent four years at one of the biggest clubs in the world, and I have been able to play with so many great players, Zinedine Zidane to name but one.

"Just to be on the same pitch as Zidane was an absolute honour for me. I have had an incredible time and will have no regrets at all."

On his motivations

"I always dreamt of wearing the number seven shirt for United and England, and I have achieved that. Everything else has been more than I could have ever dreamt about," he said.

"I know it is easy for me to say at this stage of my career and in the position that I am in, but at no point has money been my motivation for playing football.

"I dreamt about being a professional footballer from the age of six or seven.

"That is why I got into the game, and that is what continues to drive me on.

"Obviously it is an amazing - and groundbreaking - contract they have offered me, but the challenge of making a difference was far more important."

There is also a report in Marca, quoting both David Beckham and Roberto Carlos as being especially motivated to win La Liga. Becks has said how much he would like to win a title with Madrid before leaving. I know we all hope that this can come true! Source.

According to the training and injury report on the Real Madrid official site David Beckham started Gymn work yesterday. This suggests he is healing well and hopefully everything is on track for a return earlier rather than later in April!

The Daily Mail report that Tuesday night was special for David and Victoria Beckham, not only because Becks was able to bid a fond farewell to the Manchester United fans and received a huge send off in return, but also because it was the 10th anniversary of the first time Posh and Becks met in the players lounge at Old Trafford back in March 1997. A decade together and still going strong. Congrats to them both! To mark the occasion heres an April 1999 photo shoot of the couple from The Sun, unfortunately I'm still perfecting the art of scanning :)

Click here to view.

There is an interesting article in this morning's Independent that talks in detail about David Beckham's Academy in London, it also mentions that David Beckham will be there next Monday, March 19th, to launch stage two of its programme - the School Zone, a free, online education resource for teachers and students that builds on what is being delivered in Greenwich. It sounds really interesting as it will make the Academy "virtually" accessible to a much wider audience. For more details you can check out The Academy's website. The Los Angeles Academy will also be offerring courses from the end of this month and you can find details via the same site!

I'll be sure to look out for press coverage and photos next Monday!

Also, although it's not great quality You Tube have a clip of David Beckham emerging from the players tunnel and being interviewed briefly before giving his speech at Old Trafford on Tuesday night

You can watch David Beckham's speech (well most of it, I'm afraid the first few seconds are missing) on You Tube and see the great reception that he got!

David Beckham was at Old Trafford tonight and addressed the Manchester United fans. He thanked them for their support and especially for helping him get through 1998. He said his time at the club was the best part of his footballing career and that he believed that the club would continue to have great success this season and beyond. It was a classy speech from a classy man. He was warmly received and the fans applauded loudly and cheered, giving him the kind of reception he richly deserved. It was very moving, as Becks said, he had been waiting four years to do this so it was great that he was finally able to make his farewell and in a dignified manner that fitted the important and beloved player he was for Manchester United. For more details there is coverage in The Guardian, The Sun and also a good detailed recap from the La Times. You can also read Sir Alex Ferguson's comments from after the match in which he praised David Beckham, saying "He had great years here... he was a great player"

First of the photos are in the gallery.

Here is a transcript of what he said, I have compiled it from more than one source as somewhat amazingly no media source is reporting everything he said verbatim, perhaps someone will later. (Source)

It's amazing to be back...I am devastated to be injured but just being here is enough. The time I spent at this club was the best time of my career,".

"I have waited four years to say thank you to the fans and the people at the club who supported me throughout my career."

"Especially in 1998. I think I wouldn't have got through many things without the people in this stadium,"

"You've got the best manager in the world and I think this team is going to be incredible and will win many things for years to come."

"So good luck and thank you."

Today's medical report on the Real Madrid site says that David Beckham undertook physiotherapy earlier today. Hopefully he is healing well and we will see him begin Gym work next week.

As you all know David Beckham will be attending tomorrow's charity gala match at Old Trafford. Injury has sadly prevented Becks from playing as planned but he will attend and take to the pitch briefly ahead of the game to say a fond farewell to the clubs fans who will finally have a chance to thank him and salute him for the great service he gave to the club during his time there.

For any of you attending or planning to watch the match on TV the final squad is -
Goalkeepers: Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich), Gregory Coupet (Lyon), Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)

Defenders: Paolo Maldini (AC Milan), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Eric Abidal (AS Roma), Lilian Thuram (FC Barcelona), Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona), Marco Materazzi (Inter Milan), Fabio Grosso (Inter Milan), Gianluca Zambrotta (FC Barcelona)

Midfielders: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Juninho (Lyon), Florent Malouda (Lyon), Luis Miguel (Valencia), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)

Forwards: Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona), Ronaldo (AC Milan), Alessandro Mancini (AS Roma), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan), Henrik Larsson (Helsingborgs)

Such a shame Becks can't play I 'm sure he would have really enjoyed it!

The match will be televised live on the BBC. It will be on Starhub Super sports for those of you in Asia who get that channel. It will also be shown on MUTV. Hopefully the BBC will put a clip of David Beckham's appearance online as it is not being televised at all where I live *cries*

David Beckham attended the quarter-final match of the FA Cup between Chelsea and Spurs today. He sat with John Terry, I have added a few photos to the gallery

I have some great news about La Liga, Sevilla lost and Valencia drew their match! This means that where Real Madrid was looking at being 8 points off the lead, there is in fact only five point separating the top four teams. This of course means Real Madrid are still very much in the chase. Of course one can't help but rue the fact that they would be only 3 points off the lead if they could have done just a little more at the Nou Camp but there is nothing to be gained by looking back and still everything to play for. The dream of David Beckham leaving on a high is still very much alive.

There are 12 games remaining. There is a pause for Euro 2008 qualifiers following the game against the Nastic so after March 18 the next Liga game will be April 1. David Beckham may be fit to play a role in 9 or 10 of the remaining fixtures. If Real Madrid can start winning rather than drawing there is still time.

Finally, Iker Casillas gave an interview earlier in the week (Source) before the Champions League return match, where he spoke at length about David Beckham, I think I've mentioned it before but just in case I haven't, Iker is definitely on the people we love list! Here is what he said -

David Beckham's display was no surprise to any of us, because he's always been an important player. He never fails to deliver for the team with that wonderful right foot of his. His passing ability is a danger to every opponent we face and the precision of it was spot on when he set up Van Nistelrooy. It was a goal as soon as it left his boot. It's an asset we should take advantage of more often than we do.

I'm glad Capello realised Beckham is a very important and highly influential player for the team. He's a great professional and deserved his recall.

As a person David Beckham is a brilliant role model. He found himself in a very difficult position after announcing his transfer but throughout the ordeal he spoke in an educated way and was very respectful towards everyone else at the club. I think Beckham can go out in style by helping us win the Champions League or La Liga in his final few months at Real Madrid.

I also think he remains one of the best players in the world in his position. He's a very big player.

On that note I wanted to get some input from you, I have decided to create some mini fansites for my favorite David Beckham team mates over the years, I am thinking of creating them for Gary Neville (Manchester United), Owen Hargreaves (England) and Iker Casillas (Real Madrid). Is there any one else you would like to see as well as or instead of these players?

Real Madrid did not lose to Barcelona, that is the good news... the bad news is that they did not win even though for the entire second half it was 11 men against 10. Real did go ahead with 17 minutes remaining but a late equaliser in the 91st minute sunk what was so close to being a long overdue positive result for the team. So what this means for La Liga is that Real Madrid is not out of the running but, as always through out this season, they refuse every opportunity and gift to go ahead and really place themselves in a commanding position. If Seville win against Nastic, a team facing relegation, they will be 8 points clear and as it is March, it would be fair to say it will take some luck and unexpected mistakes by the leader for Real Madrid to pull back the points in the remaining time. Still, it is possible. Where there is life, there is hope! It would be wonderful for Becks and the entire team to take something from the season. Fingers crossed. If you are interested in details of the match they are as always on the official site.

I have a small addition to the MUTV interview, special thanks to notorious mvp a korean fan of Becks who has kindly shared some video with us, I thought this part was especially cute and funny!



There is a story in the Sunday People about Becks getting the last laugh on some bullies from his school days view here. There is also a report on the Beckham's charitable works that estimates donations over the last 4 years at more than one million dollars