Beckham was presented with his new No 23 shirt in front of
8,000 adoring fans at the Home Depot Center, and then claimed he
can help his new league become as competitive as the Premiership
and Spain's La Liga. The former England captain, who began a
five-year contract worth an astonishing $250million (£123m), said:
"Potentially, soccer in the States can be as big as anywhere in the
world.
"I want to be part of that and to help do that over the next five
years and maybe more. It's great to see so many fans here and I'd
like to thank them for that. "I've played for two of the top sides
in the world, Manchester United and Real Madrid, and played for 11
years for my country. "The most important thing for me is my family
and then my soccer. I'm looking forward to this. My wife is here
and my family is here."
Beckham walked out to a tickertape parade in the searing California
heat and was cheered throughout his speech. Head coach Frank Yallop
said: "I can't wait to see him wearing a Galaxy shirt." Beckham
will make his debut against Chelsea next Saturday and will train
with his new Major League Soccer teammates for the first time on
Monday.
Beckham's fans need no converting
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who has also expressed a desire to
join him in the U.S. at some stage, has backed Beckham to succeed.
Mourinho said: "The objective is to bring soccer in the U.S. up and
they couldn't choose a better player for that. "I think he's more
than a player because of what he means to world football. He brings
a lot of attention with him, so if the objective is to improve the
Galaxy team then, for sure, he is a better player than what they
have. "He's at the end of his career as a player and in 20 years,
when I'm at the end of my career as a manager, I would love to come
here."
Home Depot Stadium: Beckham's new
home
Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas described it as a historic
moment. "Not just for the Galaxy but for soccer and for the sport
of soccer in the United States," said Lalas. MLS commissioner Don
Garber echoed those thoughts. "This is truly a historic day for
soccer," he said. "Here in Los Angeles we have one of the world's
most recognised athletes, most recognised players coming here to
our league, our city, our team.
"He's more than just a terrific player, a man with tremendous
talent, tremendous integrity, someone the LA market will look to
cherish and others will look to emulate. "It's also the right time
because the MLS has added new teams, new stadiums, and new TV
contracts to become a more popular part of the sports
culture."
