'Beckham Week'

England star to arrive in Madrid on Tuesday

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- David Beckham is set to arrive in the Spanish capital on Tuesday morning, the opening act of his highly awaited introduction into the ranks of Real Madrid.

With Beckham's unveiling on Wednesday promising to be Spain's media event of the year, the star midfielder is due to fly in to the military airport of Torrejon de Ardoz aboard a private plane from London, news reports said.

On arrival, Beckham is expected to be driven straight to the Clinica Zarzuela in the northeastern outskirts to undergo a medical examination at 2pm (1200 GMT) -- courtesy of private health company Sanitas, which is sponsoring the tests.

The following day, the England captain will appear before more than 600 journalists from 25 countries at the stadium of Real Madrid's basketball team, the 5,000-capacity Raimundo Saporta Pavilion.

The presentation will be broadcast live at noon (1000 GMT). It will coincide with TV primetime in Asia, where Beckham was received as a hero in his recent promotional tour.

Beckham, whose euro35 million (US$40 million) signing from Manchester United was announced on June 17, will be presented with Madrid's white shirt by the club's honorary president Alfredo di Stefano. The shirt is not expected to bear a number.

Immediately after his presentation, Beckham will go to the club's nearby Ciudad Deportiva training ground where crowds of photographers will have a chance to capture him donning his new shirt.

The player will not give a news conference, although the club said his comments will be available on Real Madrid's Web site and its TV station.

The unprecedented interest in Beckham's arrival drew a warning from the club's press spokesman Joaquin Maroto, who told the Associated Press on Monday that Madrid intended to protect Beckham from unwanted media attention.

"We intend to educate the press. If anyone steps out of line, we'll wipe them from our list forever," Maroto said.

Spain's press on Monday cranked up the hype over Beckham's arrival.

The leading sports daily Marca speculated on which number the midfielder will eventually wear, while the headline in the daily As proclaimed "Beckham Week."

Showing a montage of Beckham holding Madrid's white shirt bearing a question mark, Marca suggested that he will either wear No. 8 or 11, depending on whether the club's striker Fernando Morientes and midfielder Steve McManaman leave Madrid this summer.

It is not known whether Beckham will be accompanied on his visit by his wife Victoria, a former member of the Spice Girls pop group.

Beckham is expected to make his debut on the Spanish titlist's forthcoming tour of the Far East. Madrid will play four friendlies under new coach Carlos Queiroz, who has also joined the club from Manchester United and was unveiled last Wednesday.

The team flies out to the Chinese city of Kunming on July 24 and plays its first game against the Dragon Team in Beijing on Aug. 2.

Three days later, Madrid meets FC Tokyo in Tokyo, and on Aug. 8 it plays China in Hong Kong. Its final game is against Malaysia on Aug. 10 in Kuala Lumpur.

Beckham's first game on Spanish soil is expected to be a week later when Madrid visits Mallorca in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, which pits the league titlist with the Copa del Rey winner.

The return leg is a week later at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, a game which may provide Beckham with his home debut.

 

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