David Beckham scores a goal...quite stunning. David Beckham’s done it again! -Well,
David Beckham, welcome to Australia. -Thank you. I have to ask the obvious
question. Ah, “Why the United States, why the L.A. Galaxy, and why now?” Because
I felt that I needed a new challenge. I played for Manchester United for
13, 14 years, then I moved to Madrid and played for Madrid for 4 years
and was successful with both clubs. And obviously, I had, you know, other
opportunities to go to maybe Italy or back to England from Spain, but I
just wanted a new challenge...and America was a challenge. So you know,
I moved the whole family over there; the kids are happy, Victoria’s happy
over there...and I’m happy I’m playing in the MLS. You know, I think there’s
a lot of potential out there...you know, obviously the game is nowhere
near as big as it is everywhere else in the world, so like I said, there’s
a challenge, and that’s the challenge, and I'm looking forward to it. We
saw Pele and Beckenbauer, just two of the great names who went there in
the late ‘70s, early ‘80s with the Cosmos. A different league then. We
saw Pele and Beckenbauer, just two of the great names who went there in
the late ‘70s, early ‘80s with the Cosmos. A different league then. What
makes you think it’s different now? Would you have been aware of what took
place in those days? Yeah, of course. You know, there were great players,
some of the best players in the world that went over there and played at
the time...so, you know, like you say, Beckenbauer, Pele, you know, George
Best, Rodney Marsh. So there’s been many players that have gone over there. But
I think the difference is now, the league is a lot more stable, you know. There’s
this – the money has been sort of separated between, you know, each team...and
the whole league is, like I said, is a lot more stable, so there’s a lot
more chance of it surviving and...you know, a lot more chance than a few
years ago. So, you know, that’s why I wanted that challenge of going over
there, and trying to make a difference. You mentioned it’s a friendly environment
– at least so far – is it a good environment in which to play good football? I
mean, will it be too distracting, perhaps, because they will eventually
become as demanding as they are in Europe? No, no...you know, it’s not
distracting at all. You know, once I’m on a football pitch, once I’m out
there playing with the team, you know...there are no distractions, you
know? There’s obviously...you know, it’s great to be living in Los Angeles...but
it’s also great to be traveling to different parts of America and playing
football against different players and different teams. -So it’s something
that I am really enjoying. -The players have said nice things about you. Was
it difficult settling in and sort of getting to know each other in that
different environment? That was obviously one of the things I was worried
about, when I first moved there, but I was also worried when I first moved
to Madrid. It’s about accepting players and things like that, and when
I moved to Madrid, they actually accepted me straight away...and also,
you know, in the Galaxy dressing room, they accepted me on the first day.
-So, you know, they’re a great bunch of guys, and it’s a great atmosphere.
-How was the season? -As it was, it was a bit frustrating, I’d imagine,
with the injury.-It was frustrating and also disappointing...‘cause we
didn’t make the playoffs, and obviously all I – you know, it’s frustrating
on my part...because I hardly played any games with the injuries, you know?
One injury after another, and I missed most of the games in the season...which
was obviously frustrating for the Galaxy fans and the other players, but
it was really frustrating for myself...because I felt that I just wanted
to get out there and play some football. David Beckham’s done it again!