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Beckham whips up hysteria in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, June 25: Football superstar David Beckham arrived in Malaysia to a rapturous welcome by several thousand adoring fans still decked in Manchester United colours despite his recent move to Real Madrid.
Kuala Lumpur, June 25: Football superstar David Beckham arrived in Malaysia to a rapturous welcome by several thousand adoring fans still decked in Manchester United colours despite his recent move to Real Madrid.
David Beckham, on a whistle-stop tour of Southeast Asia, visited the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur for a brief appearance for some sponsors.
Hundreds of fans lined up for tickets several hours before his visit and a sizeable number were disappointed when the tickets sold out.
Also locked out of the stadium were the foreign media. The fans who managed to get tickets were ecstatic and praised the player for his skills and his looks.
"He has skills and he is handsome. That's all it is about him," said a young and scarfed Siti Nuralisa. Another fan, Jane Ching, stuck to liking his football skills. "What do I like about Beckham? Obviously his skills, yeah and not like most girls who will be going for his looks, right?" she said.
Yusri Kamil came with his friends and a dreadlocked hairstyle similar to his idol. Yusri, however, seemed to be concerned about Beckham's transfer to Real Madrid. The Spanish giants have bought the football icon for 25 million pounds from Manchester United.
"I don't know what to say about his move because some teams with lots of stars can fail, like Holland, Netherlands in the last World Cup," Yusri said.
Police kept a security cordon around the stadium and kept hundreds of other fans away from the motorcade that brought Beckham.
Amid the tight security and blazing tropical heat, Beckham came out of his limousine still decked in a Manchester United jersey and sporting a pony tail.
Beckham, who is also England's captain, then changed into a grey top emblazoned with a sponsors name, before entering the stadium accompanied by two lion dance troupes.
Some 2,000 fans, carrying banners and posters of their idol, cheered the football icon when he came in. They paid six ringgit (about US$1.50) for a ticket.
Beckham displayed his football skills, kicking, dribbling and heading to the delight of the fans. Reporters said he kicked the ball from 10 metres, scoring three or four goals and missing several others.
Beckham left after presenting sponsors' cheques for a charity. He also have away autographed balls to fans before leaving for Bangkok.
Bureau Report
Yusri Kamil came with his friends and a dreadlocked hairstyle similar to his idol. Yusri, however, seemed to be concerned about Beckham's transfer to Real Madrid. The Spanish giants have bought the football icon for 25 million pounds from Manchester United.
"I don't know what to say about his move because some teams with lots of stars can fail, like Holland, Netherlands in the last World Cup," Yusri said.
Police kept a security cordon around the stadium and kept hundreds of other fans away from the motorcade that brought Beckham.
Amid the tight security and blazing tropical heat, Beckham came out of his limousine still decked in a Manchester United jersey and sporting a pony tail.
Beckham, who is also England's captain, then changed into a grey top emblazoned with a sponsors name, before entering the stadium accompanied by two lion dance troupes.
Some 2,000 fans, carrying banners and posters of their idol, cheered the football icon when he came in. They paid six ringgit (about US$1.50) for a ticket.
Beckham displayed his football skills, kicking, dribbling and heading to the delight of the fans. Reporters said he kicked the ball from 10 metres, scoring three or four goals and missing several others.
Beckham left after presenting sponsors' cheques for a charity. He also have away autographed balls to fans before leaving for Bangkok.
Bureau Report