When David Beckham changes hairstyles, it's front page news in England. So imagine the frenzy when the nation's most famous sportsman was rumored to be getting ready to bolt for Spain.
After weeks of feverish speculation that he was set to leave Manchester United for Real Madrid, the soap opera has been put to rest -- for the time being.
PHOTO: REUTERS
"Never, never, never, never," Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said of the prospect of the England captain and star midfielder joining his team. "Not now, not ever.
"We have not spoken about David Beckham," Perez added. "He has a contract with Manchester United. He is not even halfway through that contract. We are very happy with the players we have. That is the end of the matter."
Real Madrid also issued a statement on its Web site denying any approach for Beckham, perhaps the world's most marketable soccer player.
"Despite the speculation surrounding this issue, Madrid have no intention of negotiating the transfer of Mr. Beckham," it said.
Those were the words Manchester United officials wanted to hear.
"I am delighted Mr. Perez has confirmed this in such an emphatic matter, but anyway, we at Manchester United never had any intention of selling him," chief executive Peter Kenyon said. "I'm also assured by David's people that they don't want him to leave Manchester United."
Not everyone is convinced Beckham won't be wearing the famous white shirt of Real Madrid next season.
"Who you kidding?" screamed the back page headline in The Sun. "It's Unreal" said the Mirror.
The reason for the doubts -- Real Madrid made similar official denials in the past about big-name transfers that eventually came to pass.
In August, the club denied it had any intention of signing Ronaldo, only to have the Brazilian star complete a multimillion-dollar transfer from Inter Milan three weeks later.
The same thing happened before French star Zinedine Zidane joined Madrid from Juventus in 2001 for a world record US$65 million transfer fee.
Real's official denial came on the same day Beckham's high-profile wife Victoria, a former Spice Girl, appeared to hint the couple and their two young sons -- Brooklyn and Romeo -- were indeed leaving England.
Appearing in New York, she was asked whether the family planned such a move in the near future.
"I was wondering who was going to ask me that. I can't possibly answer," she said, but then gave an emphatic nod of the head and flashed a wide smile.
Victoria Beckham is widely reported to be eager to leave Manchester for a more glamorous locale. Milan, the Italian fashion capital, has been mentioned as another possible destination. Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has made no secret of his desire to sign Beckham.
Beckham, who turned 28 yesterday, signed a contract extension last year that keeps him at Manchester United until June 30, 2005. But he has never ruled out moving to Madrid, repeatedly saying he is honored to be linked with the club.
Speculation over Beckham's future started months ago but went into overdrive after Man United manager Alex Ferguson dropped him to the substitutes' bench for the Premier League showdown against Arsenal on April 16 and the Champions League quarterfinal against Real Madrid a week later.
Beckham came on in the second half against Madrid and scored two goals as Man U won the game 4-3 but went out 6-5 on aggregate over two legs. Photos of a bare-chested Beckham saluting the Manchester crowd after the game -- in what was considered a farewell gesture -- were splashed across front pages.
The next day Beckham went shopping, spending a reported US$15,900 at a Giorgio Armani store in Manchester. This, too, received huge coverage as papers suggested Beckham's public appearance was his way of getting back at Ferguson for being benched.
After a 2-0 loss to Arsenal in the FA Cup two months ago, a furious Ferguson kicked a shoe that flew and hit Beckham in the face. Rather than staying out of the public eye and away from the media, Beckham went out the next day and was photographed with stitches above his eye.
Beckham has had a stormy relationship with Ferguson, a no-nonsense Scotsman who clearly does not appreciate his player's showbiz lifestyle and celebrity status.
Yet even if Beckham does join Real Madrid, it's uncertain whether he could break into the starting lineup of the nine-time European champion.
Madrid's lineup already features Ronaldo, Zidane, Portuguese midfielder Luis Figo, Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos and striker Raul.
Beckham, who is paid a reported US$143,000 a week at Manchester United, might need to take a salary cut to play in Spain.
For Real Madrid, Beckham might represent more of a marketing coup than anything else. He would help boost Real's commercial opportunities in Asia, where Beckham has a huge fan base.
Beckham is worth US$79.5 million, according to a survey of Britain's richest people published last weekend in The Sunday Times. He has a myriad of endorsement and sponsorship deals and is featured on billboard and magazine covers around much of the world.
But he's not yet a household name in the US.
The British film Bend it Like Beckham -- the title is based on his trademark ability to curl a free kick over a wall of defenders into the net -- might be a sleeper hit in America but many filmgoers have no idea who Beckham is.
All that could change when Manchester United makes a four-game preseason tour of the US this summer with games in Seattle, Los Angeles, East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.
Manchester United, the world's richest soccer team, is determined to crack the US market. Without pinup boy Beckham, however, the tour would be a tough sell.
"We accept he is the most recognized footballer in the world, perhaps the most recognized person," Man U's Kenyon said. "So yes, he is important to us. And that's the reason we're going to keep him."
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but