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David Beckham received a rocky reception from disgruntled Galaxy fans in his return to Los Angeles on Sunday as his Major League Soccer club played a 2-2 draw with his recent Italian club AC Milan.
The English star, who missed the first half of the MLS season while on loan to AC Milan, was booed during introductions and again on his first few touches of the ball.
Leaving the pitch at halftime, he approached a section of stands where anti-Beckham banners were displayed and appeared to shout something.
A fan jumped down and was restrained by security personnel and escorted off the pitch.
“One of the guys was saying things that wasn’t very nice. It was stepping over the line,” Beckham said. “I said, ‘You need to calm down and come shake my hand’ and he jumped over.”
But Beckham insisted the fan reaction didn’t bother him.
“It doesn’t affect me,” he said. “You can’t be liked by everyone.”
AC Milan manager Leonardo thought the fans were unfair and said if some Galaxy supporters don’t want Beckham, he’d be glad to have him back.
“Sometimes the supporters don’t understand the situation,” Leonardo said.
“We would be happy if he came back because he did really well. He’s incredible. The precision he has is something very, very special. He never missed the ball.”
Indeed amid the jeers, Beckham played a role in both Galaxy goals.
After Thiago Silva gave Milan a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute, the Galaxy equalised in the 30th through Alan Gordon, set up by Landon Donovan after a cross from Beckham.
Milan went ahead again in the 61st minute, when Filippo Inzaghi timed a run perfectly into the area to score.
The Galaxy responded, earning a corner kick in the 65th minute.
Beckham walked over to take the corner kick near the fan section that had given him the most grief.
His precise kick into the area found Bryan Jordan, whose header made the score 2-2, after which Beckham turned and faced his critics.
Beckham left the game in the 75th minute, waving to a group of supportive fans en route to the bench.
“The cheers in the end drowned out the boos, which was nice,” Beckham said.
After spending an impressive second half of last season with AC Milan, Beckham returned to the Galaxy in Thursday’s 3-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls.
Not only was Beckham’s delayed return to the MLS seen by many as a slap in the face to US football, but a squabble with Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan further sullied his return.
Donovan sparked the dispute with disparaging remarks published in a new book “The Beckham Experiment”.
But he was full of praise for Beckham on Sunday.
“He was integral in both goals,” Donovan said.
“There’s not another player on a team in this league that can make those plays. It was an exciting game.”
The friendly coincided with a swirl of speculation on Beckham’s future plans in England.
According to the Mail on Sunday, Chelsea and Tottenham are ready to bring the 34-year-old former England captain home, although Beckham said in midweek he was eyeing an eventual return to Italy.
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