And the saga continues.. There has been tons of stories written about David Beckham and his possible move to Milan as a permanent fixture on the team's roster. The UK's Daily Mail has posted 2 stories today regarding the situation:
Story #1: "Beckham torn between lure of AC Milan or completing American dream at Galaxy"David Beckham admits he is unsure whether to remain in Major League Soccer with the Los Angeles Galaxy or to sign a permanent deal with AC Milan. The star told Corriere della Sera, "To play here is the dream of any player. But deciding is not easy, it is a situation that requires time. I am under contract and I have a lot of respect for Galaxy. But the possibility to play at Milan is something special. I knew I would have fun but I didn't expect to have so much fun. In any case, I am a very respectful person. The truth is that the Americans are doing everything to improve the level and reputation of their football. The league in the USA is young. I think 10 years have to go by to achieve results."
Beckham knew the level of competition would be nowhere near as good as Europe when he went to America, but he does not regret making that move. "I have to admit that, having played in Europe, at times it has been frustrating to take part in certain games (in America). But once in a while, going from state to state, I have also had fun."
But his stay in Italy has also made him feel nostalgia for past glories. "I feel Milan is very similar to Manchester United. It has that kind of tradition that only great clubs have. Milan, just like at United, you breathe a particular atmosphere, whether it's in the training ground, the stadium. And then Milan has that trophy room - this makes you feel special. The first day in Milan's changing room I was very nervous, like the first day in school. But the first true emotion, I felt it when I arrived in December to Milan's training ground, when I put on the Milan jersey. My wife was sitting in front of me and when I put the jersey on and it had the Milan logo, I was in ecstasy."
The former Real Madrid star has been pleasantly surprised by how quickly he has adapted to Serie A. "At times you need weeks or even months to understand how a team plays and trains," he said. "I have to say that many people have done a lot of work to make me feel at home, I have been welcomed with open arms. I knew Serie A was very strong tournament tactically. I have learnt a lot from Fabio Capello who coached me at Real Madrid. From him, I learnt organisation and discipline. Now Capello is exporting all of this to the England national team."
In the meantime, Beckham is enjoying watching the replay of his first goal in Italy, scored at the weekend in Milan's 4-1 league win at Bologna. "The first people I spoke to about my goal where my wife and my friends," he said. "I have seen that goal many times on TV. I was so happy and surprised by my facial expression of pure joy. It was as though I was 15 years old again."
Story #2: "Galaxy money man insists Beckham 'loves' LA and will not be staying on at AC Milan"David Beckham will be back at the Los Angeles Galaxy in March, according to Tim Leiweke, president of the AEG empire who own the club. AC Milan would like the England international to make his two-month loan permanent but Leiweke maintained Beckham has no interest in leaving Los Angeles.
Leiweke said, "David is under contract to the Galaxy. I had a good, straightforward conversation with him before he left and he loves it in LA. He wants a better Galaxy team, we're going to have a better team and David has no interest in going."
He continued with, "We have a contract, we have a handshake, his kids go to school here, end of story. There is no story. He's going to return to the Galaxy. This is a world-class impactful player and it's still a very good move for soccer here. He's proving me right if you watched the goal he scored for Milan the other day. I look at attendance, teams coming into the league, TV ratings, and we wouldn't do any of that without David. We will not succeed here with Beckham until we win on the pitch, but we're going to be in position to do that this season."
*Like I said, these are stories.. we won't know until he has made a decision.
