David Beckham reflects on what moving to LA Galaxy has done
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David Beckham attends a promotional event for Adidas in Seoul, South Korea, ahead of LA Galaxy's friendly match against FC Seoul.
One lucky kid hired Becks to be his hat for the day.
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SHANGHAI (AFP) - English football star David Beckham is fit to play a full exhibition game in Shanghai, but authorities must first clean up a pitch in terrible condition, LA Galaxy's head coach said Monday.
"Beckham could play up to 90 minutes, he is fit. We also have to see the circumstances of the pitch, it is not the best one," Rudd Gullit told reporters after training at Shanghai's Outdoor stadium.
Beckham is in China's financial hub as part of the Galaxy's three-city Asian tour, amid questions over his fitness after England coach Fabio Capello snubbed him for a game against Switzerland last month.
Capello, former coach of Real Madrid, overlooked Beckham for England's clash against Switzerland on the grounds that the 32-year-old superstar was not in tip-top shape.
The former Real and Manchester United player is still one game short of his 100th international cap, a milestone that only five other Englishman have achieved.
After arriving in Shanghai on Sunday, Beckham told reporters that getting fit enough to play again for England was a top priority.
"All I can do now is to get my fitness and play as many games as possible. We will just have to wait and see," Beckham said.
But whether Chinese fans get to see Beckham lace-up for the Galaxy's clash Wednesday against a Shanghai-Hong Kong team will depend on the hazardous pitch being adequately swept, Gullit said.
"The pitch is in bad shape and dangerous, there were stones and bones, shells, everything was on the pitch. It is pretty difficult to play on it, so I hope they can clean it," he said.
The Galaxy, who begin their regular season in the US at the end of March, lost Saturday in South Korea, failing to come out on top in a penalty shootout to K-League side FC Seoul. Beckham played the entire game in Seoul.
They continue their Asian jaunt in Hong Kong for a match against a South China invitational on March 9.
Beckham also visited China in 2003 and 2005 with Real Madrid on the club's money-spinning Asia tours.