DAVID BECKHAM has admitted that his mastery of the English language does not match his mastery of a football. Little surprise, then, that the England captain is having difficulty getting to grips with Spanish as he tries to make himself understood to his new team-mates at Real Madrid.
Steve McManaman is the only other native English speaker in the squad, although Luis Figo speaks the language well, as do one or two others, while Carlos Queiroz, the head coach, spent last year in England with Beckham at Manchester United. Queiroz does not believe that it will be a long-term problem, though, and gives Beckham marks for effort.
“It is something that we can overcome, with all players in the team working with him to help solve it,” Queiroz said. “David has joined a new club, and he has only spent eight days with the team, so he is at the stage where he is building relationships with players.”
Figo may choose to remain tight-lipped after being moved to the left of midfield to accommodate Beckham in the club’s first match on its tour to the Far East. Beckham looked likely to keep his place in Figo’s preferred position on the right for last night’s match against FC Tokyo, of the J-League.
“Beckham has already shown he fits in well,” Zinedine Zidane, the France midfield player, said. “It’s a bit early to say, but things look very good already, even after one match.”
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However, Zidane hopes that not too much is expected of Beckham too early in a season when pressure on the team will be higher than ever. “You should not expect more from him than he has already shown at Manchester United,” he said. “There is already a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He needs time to settle. Beckham should be himself and bring his own qualities to the team.
“In my first season, we won the Champions League and last season we won the Spanish title. Every year they raise the bar at Real Madrid. With Beckham coming and with the strength of this team as a whole, the objective will be to win both (the European Cup and La Liga) this season.
“With a team like this and the amount of money invested, of course there will be a lot of discussion if we are not at least in the final of the Champions League. But we are always under pressure to win titles at Real Madrid.”