David Beckham was greeted by a mob of fans and photographers as he visited Shanghai Shenxin Football Club.
Beckham is on his second visit to China as Global Ambassador for Chinese Football and his presence has caused a stir in the world’s most populous nation.
The former England captain has been surrounded by security guards throughout his tour and it was obvious why.
Chinese football authorities hope Beckham will help boost football’s appeal in China.
The image of the sport has been tarnished by a series of match-fixing scandals but head coach of Shanghai Shenxin, Zhu Jong, believes Beckham can improve the popularity of football in China.
SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Zhu Jong, head coach of Shanghai Shenxin Football Club“To have fundamental change on China’s football, we need good coaches and good players, such as Lippi and Eriksson and players like Drogba because they can demonstrate the meaning of football to us. With David Beckham’s promotion and the presence of Drogba, our players can really learn the true meaning of football and this is really important. “
Beckham’s week-long trip started in Beijing on Monday.
The 38-year-old will visit a University in Shanghai on Thursday before flying to Huangzhou as he continues his quest to clean up Chinese football.
