Exciting episode of Becks and the city

David Beckham can stop a city in its tracks, but for a few seconds yesterday it was an Australian icon that stopped Beckham in his.

A man who has seen, done and endorsed most things in a global lifestyle was rendered speechless for a few moments as his private launch drifted towards and under the Harbour Bridge.

It was a rare moment of surprise and spontaneity for a man whose entire existence is commoditised. There is no respite from his lifestyle; almost any move he makes outside his own home is photographed, filmed, pored over.

There's a part of his life that would send most of us mad within days -- a retinue of advisers who co-ordinate every second. The remarkable thing is that the calmest person in the mayhem at the centre of it all.

Barely able to draw breath after an intensive training session under new LA Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit, Beckham is spirited away to a launch at Homebush Wharf. A shower is laid on, sandwiches gulped, and another round of interviews begins as the boat takes him toward another sponsor event.

The move to Los Angeles starts to make sense as he discusses his change of life, uprooting his family to play in a league not known for its high quality -- in fact, it's barely known.

What it does make him, though, is another celebrity in a city where they are on every corner.

"I wouldn't say it's a normal life but it's a bit easier as there are so many famous people around in LA, doing things every day," said Beckham, who is in Sydney for tonight's LA Galaxy-Sydney FC exhibition match at Telstra Stadium.

"So it does give a certain amount of extra privacy."

"I do go out and buy a pint of milk," he said of the suggestion that was the mark of a "normal" life. "It's just never without being followed.

"But (being in LA) means we're putting the kids in a situation now, where at the moment, they're really happy, they're loving the lifestyle over there and the school they're in -- and Victoria's happy. It's just been so frustrating on the football side because I've been injured so much and not able to play. But apart from that it's genuinely been great."

Beckham was keen to praise the standard of soccer here, and generous with his assessment of the Socceroos at the World Cup.

He spent part of the afternoon in a kicking contest with footballers from three other codes -- rugby league's Mark Gasnier, union's Matt Giteau and Collingwood's Dale Thomas -- and it confirmed his impression of Australian sport.

"We, as a nation in England, know there are many talented Australian footballers. Obviously there are the ones that play in the Premiership," he said. "They're viewed very highly. Tim Cahill, for instance, has done really well at Everton. He scores a lot of goals and is a very talented player.

"(Everton midfielder) Phil Neville is a good friend of mine and he speaks very, very highly of him.

"But I think Australia as a nation is always passionate and driven by a desire to win things, so we knew (what the Socceroos achieved) was possible from that team.

"It lifted the entire nation. That's what football does. It does it in our country as well. When you win big games, it lifts everybody's mood."

Beckham would like one day to return to Australia with his family and said he had been made to feel welcome. "The support I've had so far . . . has been amazing, even the fans outside the hotel," he said.

Having "more time" in his life means when he finally hangs up the adidas boots he has worn for years, the sponsor for whom he is doing this interview.

He has often ruled out management -- instead he has a passion for bringing children into the game. And that doesn't exclude his own.

"I'll always be involved in football in some way. Obviously there's my soccer academies. That's the big thing I'll be doing once I stop playing," he said.

"That and other charity work. Being ambassador of UNICEF is a huge thing, a huge honour and I want to do much more of that.

"Without a doubt, I'd love my boys to go into football and if they do, then great. But if they don't, then I'm still going to support them as much as I can in whatever they wish to do. Mind you, they already love football."

With the most famous footballer of all as a father, that's not a great surprise. And David Beckham knows that under all the hype, the game is what underpins it all.

For if you ask him to describe himself, the response is simple. "Passionate -- passionate and dedicated," he said. "And a footballer."

Via news.com.au