World famous soccer star David Beckham said on Monday that he physically felt great now after recovering from injuries.
He said there would not be a repeat of his injury-filled and disappointing 2007 debut season with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer (MLS).
"This is the best shape I've been in for a year now," Beckham said after he and his teammates began training in Carson near Los Angeles for the first time in 2008. "The whole last season I was not 100 percent fit. Physically I feel great."
The famed English midfielder, possibly known as much for his jet-set lifestyle as with his success with England's Manchester United, Spain's Real Madrid and the English national team, missed twice as many games, 16, as he played by the time the MLS season ended Oct. 21.
Beckham was limited to eight games for the Galaxy in various competitions, scoring one goal and assisting on three others.
Beckham joined the Galaxy July 13 of last year following the June 30 expiration of his contract with Real Madrid. His five-year contract with Galaxy could bring him as much as 250 million dollars.
Beckham made his debut with the Galaxy July 21 by playing the final 12 minutes of a 1-0 loss to English powerhouse Chelsea FC amid one of the greatest promotional buildups in American sports history.
However, an ankle injury sustained June 6 while playing for England in a Euro 2008 qualifying game against Estonia forced him to miss five of the next six games, disappointing fans and raising questions about the team' s credibility regarding its statements on Beckham's health.
Beckham then sustained a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee in the Aug. 29 SuperLiga final against the Mexican team Pachuca and didn't play again until an Oct. 18 MLS game against the New York Red Bulls.
The Galaxy will begin 2008 play Feb. 20 by facing Gamba Osaka of Japan's J-League in the Pan-Pacific Championship in Honolulu. It will play a second tournament game Feb. 23, then head to Seoul, South Korea, for a March 1 exhibition against FC Seoul, and Shanghai, China, for a March 5 exhibition against the China All-Star Union team.
The Galaxy will begin MLS play March 29 at Colorado and play their home opener April 3 against San Jose.
"We have to win something," Beckham said. "We can't sit back and let happen what happened last season. As long as we start well and win our games, we've got every chance."
Source: Xinhua
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