Even on crutches, David Beckham draws a crowd.
The LA Galaxy star, recovering from surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon, made an appearance on Good Morning America on Monday morning, and fans lined the sidewalk of Broadway to catch a glimpse of him.
“I was just in town, and they asked me to come over,” Beckham told MLSsoccer.com after his GMA spot about his quick media tour. He later stopped in to chat with the ladies on The View.
Beckham, dressed as nattily as ever, used crutches to maneuver around the studio and deal with the crush of autograph seekers and camera-ready fans, but he switched to a cast-like boot once he got back to his dressing room. The injury to his Achilles tendon, suffered while playing for AC Milan in March, still clearly affects him.
“It was like being hit by a hockey puck,” he told GMA. “I thought someone was behind me. I looked round, obviously, no one there. And then I saw my foot. It was just hanging. And then I felt down there and there was a hole and I knew straight away what I'd done.”
The 34-year-old midfielder began rehab recently, but is going to miss the World Cup. Still, he is looking forward to returning to the field and is thrilled by the start to the season that the Galaxy have enjoyed. The club is 4-0-1 and sits atop the Western Conference, and Beckham sees continuity as a key.
“We’ve got stability,” he told MLSsoccer.com. “It’s great to have stability. We’ve also brought in a few new players. The three Brazilians look impressive. But most important, we have team spirit. That’s why we went so far last year. Now we want to improve. We’ve done well, but we need to continue it.”
One of the integral parts of LA’s success this season has been the scoring of striker Edson Buddle, who has scored all seven of the Galaxy’s goals so far this year. There is a lot of chatter that Buddle should be called into the U.S. national team for the World Cup, and Beckham agrees.
“He deserves it,” Beckham said. “If he keeps scoring and impressing people, without a doubt, he’ll have a chance. I’m pleased for him. It shows to kids that if you work hard, you get results.”
As for his beloved Manchester United, who are embroiled in a down-to-the-wire struggle with Chelsea for the Premier League title, Beckham didn't hold back about where his allegiances lie.
"I hope Man. United win, obviously," he said. "But Chelsea have done well. They have a great manager"—Carlo Ancelotti, Beckham's coach at AC Milan last year—"and they have great players as well. Without a doubt, it's going to be an exciting end to the season."
