David Beckham Plays For AC Milan
LA Galaxy Star On Loan To Italian Giants For Two Months
Jan 11, 2009
David Beckham will kick off his part-time visit to the Italian Serie A on January 11 as he plays his first game for AC Milan, the team which loaned the L.A. Galaxy star midfielder for two months.
Part-Timer In Milan Dress
With the U.S. Major League Soccer season not expected to kick off its 2009 season until late March, David Beckham decided to sign a deal with Italian powerhouse AC Milan to play two months. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder has not played competitively since the end of the Galaxy's season in late October.
Honored To Stay Fit With Milan
One of the main reasons Beckham signed with Milan is to keep his body fit, especially since the European schedule is quite different from the American. In his October 29, 2008 blog at davidbeckham.com, he said: "One of the reasons I want to train and play in Milan for a few months is the fact that the MLS season doesn't run as long as the European season and having played most of my career in Europe, my body has been trained and geared not to have that amount of time off. Obviously, I will be honoured to be given the chance to train and play with the likes of Ronaldinho and Kaka, but it also gives me the chance to keep my fitness up and carry that on for when I come back to the Galaxy for the new MLS season."
An Eye On Return To English National Team
The move back to Europe could also be the first step in returning to the English national team. Beckham is close to breaking Bobby Moore's English record number of caps for an outfield player. But his recent lack of strong performances has seen him dropped from the England squad.
English Boss Fabio Capello An Interested Observer
England head coach Fabio Capello, an Italy native, will be an interested observer to Beckham's progress with the club he coached for five seasons.. Beckham still needs to convince the new English boss that he deserves to be recalled into the England squad, which has collected four victories in four games in their Group 6 qualifiying group for the 2010 World Cup for 12 points and a five-point lead on Croatia and Ukraine. According to Yahoo! Sports on January 9, Capello has four key factors in Beckham's game of which he needs to be convinced - fitness, attitude, technique and personality.
Plans On Returning For Start Of MLS
Many soccer obervers in Europe believe Beckham will eventually return to the Old Continent, perhaps even staying on with Milan for the rest of the season. But Beckham, who trained with Arsenal during the MLS break before last season, has said on a number of occasions on his personal blog that he looks forward to getting back to the Galaxy. On November 5, he said: "If everything goes well in Milan I’ll be in perfect condition when I return to the Galaxy for the start of the new MLS season. Things haven’t quite gone according to plan on the pitch, so I really want to hit the ground running next season as I want success for the Galaxy, as do the other players."
And on December 10 he wrote: "It’s an exciting prospect (of playing with Milan) and if it means that I’m at full fitness when the Galaxy get back together then I’ll be happy."
Beckham Return Not A Surprise To Ferguson
Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson, who coached Beckham at Manchester, is not surprised that the midfielder is coming back because of the level of soccer in the United States. "It is hardly a surprise. Going to the United States does not get you the kind of football he is used to. It is not the right level of football, therefore coming back into the mainstream of the game is not a surprise," Ferguson told Press Association on October 24, 2008.
