L'Anglais David Beckham a effectué ses débuts officiels dans le championnat des Etats-Unis de football (MLS), jeudi, avec sa nouvelle équipe des Los Angeles Galaxy. Cheveux coupés très courts, portant la vareuse numéro 23, il est monté au jeu à la 72e minute sur le terrain du DC United, à Washington, acclamé par les 47.000 spectateurs. Réduit à dix, Los Angeles n'a pu éviter la défaite 1-0.
Longtemps blessé à la cheville gauche, l'ancien capitaine de l'équipe d'Angleterre, a déclaré à l'issue de la rencontre que sa cheville se portait mieux. "J'étais ravi de rejouer mais je suis frustré par la défaite", a-t-il encore confié. Beckham a signé en janvier un contrat de 5 cinq ans et 250 millions de dollars avec les Los Angeles Galaxy. Il était arrivé en fin de contrat avec le Real Madrid
Arsène Wenger has confirmed that William Gallas will captain Arsenal during the coming season.
The French centre-back, who joined from Chelsea less than a year ago, will be supported by vice-captains Gilberto and Kolo Toure on the pitch while Jens Lehmann will have a role off it.
Speaking to Arsenal TV Online, Wenger said: "(The captain) will be William Gallas. There will also be two vice-captains, Kolo Toure and Gilberto.
"I feel centre-back is always the best position to lead on the pitch and it is Gallas who has more experience at the back.
"But Gilberto has always been a great captain and Kolo Toure has a stature too."
The 24-year-old came to England as an unknown quantity, and is tasked with filling the void left by the departed Thierry Henry.
He has shown glimpses of his outstanding eye for goal in Arsenal’s pre-season, scoring against Lazio in a 2-1 in the Amsterdam tournament and looking sharp.
He certainly knows how to score, netting 10 times in 15 appearances for Croatia and 73 times in 104 showings for his previous club Dinamo Zagreb.
The Brazilian-born striker has revealed that he has not found the transition to the Gunners easy, but is keen to learn.
IT is hard to remember a season in recent years where Arsenal have been so discounted from the championship race before it has even begun. The loss of Thierry Henry, the star striker that made the rest of the Premier League so jealous, would hit any team but the idea that Arsenal were just a one man team is questionable. Try saying that to Cesc Fabregas or Robin Van Persie (pictured left) or Kolo Toure – world class talents that can stand up to the greatest tests of the season. Don’t bet against Arsenal springing a few surprises – many of their best results last year came when Henry was sidelined through injury. There was a majestic victory at Old Trafford, a demolition of Liverpool and three maulings for Spurs. Finishing above Spurs every season may be fun but it’s the lowest of targets for Arsenal and the fans expect a lot more consistency and a stronger challenge for silverware.
New Delhi, Aug. 9 (PTI): Sharing the turf with the likes of Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi would be dream come true for any young footballer, and 16-year-old Evans Thomas is no different.
The teenager from Ernakulam will rub shoulders with the superstars of the game at the hallowed Nou Camp turf after he won Nike's 'Who's next' contest for budding footballers.
"I am eagerly looking forward to meeting and training with all the giants when I go there for my one stint," Evans said.
He leaves for his one week stint at Barcelona on August 27.
The final selection out of all the budding footballers who participated in the contest was done by India team stalwart Bhaichung Bhutia.
Participants in the age group of 15-17 were asked to send a one-minute video footage showcasing their football skills. The finalists were invited to the capital where the Indian captain made his judgement.
"Barcelona is one of the best club sides in the world and a stint there, howsoever short it may be, will enable me to learn a lot and make me a better player and help me rise higher in the game," the youngster said.
It's been confirmed that Arsenal hero Thierry Henry, 29, and his English model wife Claire have split up.
Thierry has issued a statement through his lawyer that says: 'Thierry is extremely saddened by the breakdown of his marriage.
'He is anxious to move on with his life and maintain the best possible relationship with Claire for the benefit of their daughter Tea, whom he loves very much.'
Stunning brunette Claire, 27, mum to their two-year-old daughter, works under the professional name Nicole Merry and starred with her husband in a TV ad for Renault wearing just his shirt.
Rumours they'd parted started last week because she didn't accompany Thierry to Paris for Eva Longoria's wedding to basketball player Tony Parker.
The soccer star was also photographed without his wedding ring.
Claire is said to be unhappy about Thierry's £16million transfer to Barcelona and, allegedly, some texts on his mobile phone
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham gestures to fans after their match against Chelsea.David Beckham began his daunting challenge to convert America into a soccer-mad nation with an uneventful 12-minute debut for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Beckham got into the friendly against Chelsea in the 78th minute, jogging onto the field amid huge cheers and a sea of camera flashes from the sold-out crowd of 27,000 at Home Depot Center on Saturday.
"The atmosphere is incredible," he said after Chelsea's 1-0 victory.
The 32-year-old midfielder spent most of the game on the bench because of a nagging left ankle injury.
Victoria Beckham says she's not concerned about losing hot hubby Becks to a Hollywood hottie...even though she knows that some may throw themselves at him.
Victoria describes their lives as quite "boring". She said that most times they stay home, watch TV and put the kids to bed. Victoria says they prefer going to nice restaurants occasionally and don't go to nightclubs
David Beckham's first game for LA Galaxy drew a host of Hollywood celebrities.
It was no surprise to see Tom Cruise and his wife Katie Holmes watching from a corporate suite with Posh as Galaxy faced Chelsea in a friendly.
The Beckhams have been friends with the Cruises for some time and David has turned to Tom for advice on life in Holllywood.
But it was more of a shock to see Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria in the stands as she is usually a basketball fan, watching her husband Tony Parker play for San Antonio Spurs.
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also turned up, and American actress Jennifer Love Hewitt was in the crowd too, along with English actors John Hurt and Ray Winstone.
But they only saw Beckham play for 12 minutes as the former England captain protected an ankle injury, and Galaxy were beaten 1-0.
CARSON, CALIF. — This is the informal David Beckham, wearing a T-shirt and shorts, sipping on a soft drink and munching on a ham sandwich, his sore left ankle wrapped in an athletic bandage and propped up on a plastic chair.
No photos, please.
He looks not like a fashion icon, not like a star anticipating his paparazzi moment, but like a man relaxing in his own backyard.
And maybe that's the right image to explain Beckham in America, to explain why the most famous athlete in the biggest sport on the planet has chosen to relocate here, among the soccer philistines.
Maybe to take a break from being him. To be simply a famous guy in a place that's lousy with them rather than a national hero/scapegoat, to play a game that isn't the only one in town.
CARSON, Calif.–This wasn't any old Los Angeles Galaxy game.
That was evident the second David Beckham entered the stadium Saturday night accompanied by security guards for his eagerly anticipated debut with his new team.
The English superstar walked around a corner of the field before taking his seat on the end of a metal bench, where he was quickly surrounded by about 100 photographers pushing and shoving to get a shot.
Beckham calmly took in the scene as the scrum furiously snapped away within inches of him before being shoved back by about 10 security guards. He chatted with teammate Peter Vagenas, while the Galaxy's starting lineup on the field was all but ignored.
Beckham's wife Victoria, wearing her trademark huge black sunglasses, along with actress Katie Holmes and her infant daughter Suri, watched from a private box above the field. Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt was like a lot of spectators, attending her first soccer game.
Eva Longoria, minus new hubby Tony Parker, comedian Drew Carey, movie producer Brian Grazer, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and English actors John Hurt and Ray Winstone also made what were likely their first trips to Carson, a downright gritty suburb compared to the stars' usual haunt of Beverly Hills, Calif.
La reine d’Angleterre n’aurait pas fait mieux. Les Beckham vont en effet être traités comme des princes ce weekend end par deux des couples les plus influents d’Hollywood : Katie Holmes et Tom Cruise, ainsi que Jada Pinkett et Will Smith. Une soirée "spécial Beckham" se tiendra au Musée d’Art contemporain à Los Angele, dimanche, avec le tout Hollywood pour convives.
Les invitations ont déjà été envoyées aux plus chanceux, et on ne peut pas les oublier sur un coin de son bureau : une écriture dorée sur un fond doré plus foncé… Pour une soirée qui se veut en or.
Une réception qui n’est que l’aboutissement d’un accueil extrêmement chaleureux réservé à ces importations British. Dès son arrivée, David avait été accueilli par sa nouvelle équipe les LA Galaxy, et Victoria est déjà la star" d’un show de télé-réalité : Coming to America, sur la chaîne américaine NBC. Ces deux-là ne doivent toutefois pas sous-estimer la concurrence. Paris Hilton ne va pas se laisser voler la vedette très longtemps
Le joueur de soccer vedette David Beckham a effectué samedi ses débuts avec le club de soccer du Galaxy de Los Angeles.
Il n'a toutefois pu empêcher la défaite de son équipe 1-0 face à l'équipe anglaise de Chelsea, dans un match amical.
L'ancien capitaine de l'équipe d'Angleterre, qui a quitté son club espagnol du Real Madrid, est entré en jeu à la 78e minute sous les cris des 27 000 spectateurs présents. Beckham a passé la majeure partie sur le banc en raison d'une cheville gauche douloureuse.
Outre son épouse Victoria, étaient présents dans les gradins les actrices Katie Holmes et Eva Longoria, les comédiens britanniques John Hurt et Ray Winstone, ainsi que le gouverneur de Californie Arnold Schwarzenegger.
David Beckham a signé en janvier dernier un contrat de cinq ans avec le Galaxy, pour un montant évalué à plus de 250 millions de dollars.
These two nations have a fairly long history with Asian football standards. They have met in fifteen FIFA “A” matches where Iran holds an 8-3 advantage over China. Although four of these encounters have ended in draws, the two have scored a total of 40 goals between them for a 2.7 goal/match average. So it is fair to expect a few goals every time these two take the field.
This will be the second group match for both teams, so they both should be somewhat acclimated to the difficult weather conditions in the host country. However, if the other matches are any indication, the winner will most likely be the most physically fit of the two.
It's been confirmed that Arsenal hero Thierry Henry, 29, and his English model wife Claire have split up. 
