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Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
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Becks slams Donovan comments
Source: Agencies |
July 13, 2009, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
DAVID Beckham said Los Angeles Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan was "unprofessional" for speaking out without confronting him first.
Beckham, who was making his first public appearance in Southern California since returning from his five-month loan to AC Milan, said he had not spoken to Donovan, who called him a bad captain and portrayed him as stingy in an upcoming book "The Beckham Experiment."
"It's unprofessional in my eyes. In every football player's eyes throughout the world it would be unprofessional to speak out about a teammate especially in the press and not to your face," Beckham said.
"But I'm going to turn it on a positive spin because that's what this needs.
"But in 17 years, I have played with the biggest teams in the world and the biggest players and not once have I been criticized for my professionalism. It's important to get this cleared up and I will be speaking to Landon either this evening or over the next couple of days."
The Galaxy played on Saturday.
Being in Italy helped Beckham keep his game sharp. And even though it involved a month-long saga of negotiations involving MLS, Milan, and the Galaxy, Beckham said it was for the best.
And what about playing with Donovan?
"I'm personally very professional when I am on the field. I don't care what people say about me off the field, once I'm on the field I'm professional and if there is a chance for him to score, I will be giving him the ball. Me and Landon will talk, but that will be a private conversation."
So will he be reading Donovan's book?
"No," Beckham said. "This is an unofficial book that I have not participated in. I haven't sat down one to one or spoken about the book, so there is not comment where I have sat down with the journalist and gone through. There are many unofficial books that have been published about me, so this is just another one on the shelf."
Beckham, who was making his first public appearance in Southern California since returning from his five-month loan to AC Milan, said he had not spoken to Donovan, who called him a bad captain and portrayed him as stingy in an upcoming book "The Beckham Experiment."
"It's unprofessional in my eyes. In every football player's eyes throughout the world it would be unprofessional to speak out about a teammate especially in the press and not to your face," Beckham said.
"But I'm going to turn it on a positive spin because that's what this needs.
"But in 17 years, I have played with the biggest teams in the world and the biggest players and not once have I been criticized for my professionalism. It's important to get this cleared up and I will be speaking to Landon either this evening or over the next couple of days."
The Galaxy played on Saturday.
Being in Italy helped Beckham keep his game sharp. And even though it involved a month-long saga of negotiations involving MLS, Milan, and the Galaxy, Beckham said it was for the best.
And what about playing with Donovan?
"I'm personally very professional when I am on the field. I don't care what people say about me off the field, once I'm on the field I'm professional and if there is a chance for him to score, I will be giving him the ball. Me and Landon will talk, but that will be a private conversation."
So will he be reading Donovan's book?
"No," Beckham said. "This is an unofficial book that I have not participated in. I haven't sat down one to one or spoken about the book, so there is not comment where I have sat down with the journalist and gone through. There are many unofficial books that have been published about me, so this is just another one on the shelf."
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