Italians know drama. They do drama so well, you’d think it’s genetic. So given the hubbub surrounding the arrival of English soccer superstar David Beckham (and his equally famous wife, Posh Spice Girl Victoria) to the city of Milan, you’d almost wonder if the Beckhams aren’t actually Italian instead of English. I mean, what other couple is going to be stalked as they choose a hotel to stay in for a few days? Especially in a city that sees its fair share of celebrities on a pretty regular basis?
Beckham was in Milan over the weekend being introduced as the newest member of the AC Milan squad, and although he won’t officially start playing for the team until January and is only on loan from his home team the LA Galaxy for a few months, the news in Italy and around the world was following him everywhere. From his arrival at Milan Malpensa Airport, to Victoria’s hunt for a suitable hotel in Milan for the family for the weekend, to David’s press conference unveiling his AC Milan jersey, to the eventual presentation to the San Siro faithful before the team’s final game of 2008 on Sunday.
Now, AC Milan is my team, and I’m not entirely convinced the whole Beckham thing is good for the club – but as I’m not yet on the advisory board, all I can do is sit back and see what happens. I keep thinking that the money the team will make from selling all those #32 Beckham jerseys could come in handy when they’re looking to buy another player in the summer, which is a good thing – but I’m seriously not sure I can handle four months of “all Beckham all the time” coverage in the Italian news. It’s already the dominant story, and that’s just from a short weekend trip. I shudder to think what it’ll be like in January…
If you’re curious, check out these sites, which have molte foto of the Beckhams in Milan over the weekend:
And for another fun dimension to the Beckhams-arrive-in-Italy story, a certain extremely sexy reporter (and I use that term loosely here) for Sky Sports Italia was supposed to interview David about his upcoming stint with AC Milan – until, that is, Victoria decided to look said sexy reporter up on the internet and reportedly banned David from talking to her.
It just gets better and better, doesn’t it? And this is from their first weekend trip to Italy. Come February, I wonder what else the Italians will be talking about?
