British football player David Beckham poses with his new jersey, flanked by Paris Saint-Germain’s President, Nasser Al Khelaifi (left), and PSG Sports Director Leonardo during a press conference in Paris, in this January 2013 file photo.
BY RIZWAN REHMAT
DOHA: Soccer icon David Beckham is delighted with his stay at Qatari-owned French club Paris Saint German, a side the Briton predicts will become one of the giants of European football.
The 37-year-old former England captain, who signed a five-month deal with PSG in January this year, is set to play the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona at Camp Nou today.
“(When) interest from Paris came in, it was a no-brainer,” Beckham said in a television interview with Al Jazeera Sports Channel.
“They have a lot of ambition, a lot of aspirations to become one of the biggest clubs in Europe and they will get there. There’s no doubt about that,” Beckham, who turns 38 next month, added.
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy star said PSG have well thought out plans to challenge the big clubs in Europe.
“They are doing things the right way. They are not just buying the most expensive or biggest players,” Beckham explained in the interview broadcast on Al Jazeera Sports Channel.
“They are obviously doing that but they are also building up from grass-roots level. There’s a lot of hard work being done around the club, around the city. And it’s going to get bigger,” Beckham predicted.
“We have good a blend of experience and young talent. We’ve got a huge kind of character in the team (Zlatan Ibrahimovic). I am glad he’s here for both games (Ibrahimovic scored in the first leg in Paris last week).
“He deserves to be there and that’s a big boost for us as a team. He’s one of those players who can change the game in an instance. If he’s on top of his game, he’s very difficult to stop,” the Briton said.
Beckham, who signed for LA Galaxy after leaving Real Madrid in 2003, is happy playing in the Champions League again.
“Six months ago I wouldn’t have though of it but now it is great to be back in the Champions League,” Beckham said. “It’s always been a special competition for any player. When I won with Man United, it was special. I played in the Champions League for a few years. It is good to be back,” he said as PSG prepared for the second leg game against hosts Barcelona.
“Just to see the players on the floor (in the 1999 final) after the final whistle, I think we (the Man United players) were all in a shock of what happened,” Beckham recalled.
“It doesn’t get more dramatic than that game - to be 1-0 nil down and then score the goals like that - I will never forget that,” he said of the 1999 Champions League final against German giants Bayern Munich. The match is best remembered for United scoring two last-minute goals in injury time to win 2–1, after having trailed for most of the match
When asked what it meant playing football around the world, Beckham said: “Everything! Everything! That’s why I am still playing it at the age I am playing it. I want to continue to be successful. I want to continue playing. I am not ready to hang my boots up yet.”
He added: “You know, someone just asked me ‘would I ever wanna play for England again?’ Who wouldn’t. At the end of the day, that’s one of the reasons I never retired from international football. If there’s ever - a chance of me playing for my country again, I would never turn that down. That’s one of the reasons why I feel like playing.”
With retirement plan not on his mind, Beckham feels elated with his form and fitness level.
The 37-year-old ran more than six kilometers - the most by any player on each side - in the first half of the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona in Paris last week.
“As fit as I have ever been,” Beckham said when asked about his fitness.
“You now, that hasn’t changed. I am 38 years old in May. You know, your body changes and you have to adjust to certain things but do I feel like that? No. Because I just want to continue to be successful. I want to win.
“So I have enjoyed being back. I don’t think anybody would have expected me to come back to Europe again. For six years, people just expected me to finish playing, sit on a beach and enjoy my life (but) interest from Paris came in,” he said.
Despite his supreme physical conditioning, Beckham is not pledging himself to another PSG deal, not just yet.
“We’ll see. You know, at 38 years old almost, you have to - kind of - take each month as it comes and each season as it comes,” Beckham explained.
“It’s one of the reasons I have my contract until the end of the season, just to see how I feel physically.
“If I continue to feel like I feel (now) there’s no reason why I can’t continue to play. I am not thinking that far. You know we are seven points clear in the French league.
“At the moment we are heading into a game against Barcelona (the first leg ended in a 2-2 draw). After this game, we’ll obviously know more,” he said.
Beckham had special praise for Barcelona, the La Liga giants who are considered the team to beat at any event.
“When I play a side like Barcelona, it is special. And they are the best team in the world,” Beckham said.
“They have got some of the best players in the world but I think what impresses everyone about them is that they work as a team, play collectively,” he explained.
“You can never be scared,” Beckham said when asked about nerves of playing Barcelona on their home soil.
“It doesn’t matter how young you are or how inexperienced you are - there’s no way that any professional player can be scared about playing against a team like Barcelona. I think we have to concentrate on our game,” he said.
THE PENINSULA
