English superstar David Beckham was mocked on Tuesday for accusing a Japanese player of spitting in his face as Real Madrid were humiliated before their Asian fans by a lowly J-League team.
”Beckham enraged!” two Japanese tabloids blared in identical headlines with pictures of the English captain pointing an accusatory finger at Tokyo Verdy player Kazuyuki Toda.
Beckham accused Toda of spitting at him during Monday’s friendly match, in which the Spanish powerhouses were defeated 3-0 at the hands of a team struggling in 17th position in the J-League.
”For real? Real Madrid, the Galacticos, humiliated in public in Japan,” the Sports Nippon daily said in a caption.
The Nikkan Sports daily said the entire Real Madrid squad ”lost their natural selves” over the alleged spitting incident.
”The prince was infuriated,” the paper said.
”They wanted revenge rather than to win the game. They were totally different from the usual Galacticos,” it said.
Real Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo after the match accused Toda of trying to provoke Beckham, saying the Japanese player also kicked the English sensation.
Toda denied the allegations — and said it was Beckham who was to blame.
”It’s him who kicked me,” Toda said, as quoted by the Sports Nippon tabloid. ”Some spit flew and I think that’s why he was angry, but it’s not me.”
The Sports Nippon said that Real Madrid were ”too weak” and that their legions of fans here sighed for the full 90 minutes of the game.
”The prince … was in confusion over the unexpectedly tough game” and decided to drop the bombshell allegations, it said.
Beckham and teammates Ronaldo and Michel Salgado tried to ”raid” Verdy’s changing room during half-time but they ”would not have burst out if Real had been winning,” it said.
The two-time world club champions’ defeat against the J-League club on Monday came on the third leg of their four-country football friendly series seen as a way to gross money for the football celebrities.
The Spanish team, having won their three games 3-1, 2-0 and 3-2 in the United States and China, will play another J-League team, Jubilo Iwata, on Wednesday before moving to Thailand for their last match on Friday. – Sapa-AFP