‘Real move has made me a better player’

England captain David Beckham expects to play in Saturday’s Euro 2004 qualifier against Macedonia after shaking off a minor groin probl...

England captain David Beckham expects to play in Saturday’s Euro 2004 qualifier against Macedonia after shaking off a minor groin problem, and believes he has become a better player since moving to Real Madrid.

“Obviously it’s the first time I train today so we will see how it goes but it’s feeling good, so hopefully it will go well,” midfielder Beckham told a news conference on Friday. “I think I only tweaked the muscle so hopefully it should be fine.”

Beckham is as good a player as Maradona, says Valdano

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MADRID: England captain David Beckham not only strikes the ball better than any player since Diego Maradona but also brings new character to Real Madrid, according to the club’s sporting director Jorge Valdano. ‘‘Since Maradona I haven’t seen anyone strike the ball like Beckham,’’ the former Argentine international told reporters on Friday.

‘‘But he has got other virtues too: a competitive spirit, an enjoyment of playing and the ability to keep running throughout the game — attributes that are a very positive addition to the team.’’

After mediocre performances in his first two matches in Spain, the England captain roared back with a goal on his debut at the Bernabeu in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup and another in his first league match a few days later. The former Manchester United midfielder has yet to score from a free kick in Spain, but has begun to find his range from set pieces and twice went close to grabbing the winner with fine shots from the edge of the area in his side’s 1-1 draw against Villarreal on Tuesday.

Beckham, whose problem developed during a Spanish League match for Real Madrid against Villarreal on Tuesday, trained with the squad later on Friday.

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“Everyone did a full training session including David Beckham. There are no problems and he is expecting to play tomorrow,” FA spokesman Adrian Bevington said.

Beckham believes there has been a dividend for England in his close-season move from Manchester United to Spain.

“I said when I first moved to Real Madrid that I wanted to become a better player and so far I have done,” said the skipper. “In the month and a half I’ve been there I’ve learnt from players and hopefully will carry on learning.”

Asked if he sensed a greater responsibility due to injuries of some other players in the team, Beckham said: “I think the whole team will have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders tomorrow because it’s a big game and people are talking about the players we’re missing.

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“But now it’s important to concentrate on the players that are here and that will play.”

England could scramble only a 2-2 draw with Macedonia in Southampton last October. “We’re not underestimating this team,” Beckham said. “They should have beaten Turkey once, they’ve been unlucky in a few games and you saw what it was like when we played them last.

“But we can open them up… but we have to make sure we’re concentrating for 90 minutes.”

Failure to win would probably leave England needing to beat Turkey away in next month’s final qualifier to book an automatic place at the finals. “If we have to go to Istanbul and win the game then we’ll do that. We’re confident we could do that.” (Reuters)

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