Brand Beckham Sparks Chaos As Milan Land in Glasgow

Glasgow is becoming rather accustomed to hosting circuses. Almost three months after Diego Maradona opened his managerial career at Hampden Park, David Beckham's arrival today prompted more chaos.

Beckham has encountered more screaming and autograph hunting than your average player but even so it was a noteworthy sight. Fans of all ages, amid a search for Beckham's signature, mobbed the 33-year-old to such an extent that his feet barely touched the ground as he was carried on a 50-yard journey to Milan's team coach. His own two personal bodyguards, along with Strathclyde's constabulary and specially hired stewards, did their jobs, just about. One man was even trampled in the melee; he later recovered his sweatshirt five yards away from where he fell.

As Ronaldinho sauntered through behind Beckham, only a handful of eager punters seemed interested in the Brazilian. Andriy Shevchenko, a former world footballer of the year, did not so much as raise a glance. If Milan's players had grown weary of public acclaim wherever they turned, Beckham's arrival has been a godsend. That news had emanated of talks between lawyers and LA Galaxy, aimed at prolonging the midfielder's stay in Italy, as Milan's plane was banking over the west of Scotland heightened anticipation among the waiting press.

And so Brand Beckham continues to shine. Milan are in Glasgow, of course, for a friendly with Rangers. If it is hardly a regular affair to play non-competitive matches at such a key time of the season, the Rossoneri's keen pursuit of their great rivals, Internazionale, at the summit of Serie A leaves one to speculate as to Carlo Ancelotti's opinion on a hasty visit to Scotland. As if to accentuate the manager's potential gloom, thick snow was falling within an hour of the Milan squad checking in at their secluded hotel.

Not that their stay will be lengthy one. Tacit admission of Ancelotti's indifference towards the fixture was supplied by the fact his squad would be in Glasgow for all of 11 hours; the coach did nothing by way of a media preview in marked contrast to his opposite number, Walter Smith. A full-strength Rangers team will take to the pitch, Smith's squad fully content to take the field against such illustrious opponents. Beats afternoons in Falkirk and Motherwell, after all.

Rangers havevigorously marketed Milan's visit, and to great success. 40,000 tickets - standard ones came in at £25 a time - had been sold by lunchtime today, an impressive achievement given the financial climate. Only around half of that number, after all, turned up to see the Light Blues in League Cup semi-final action eight days ago. The Rangers' media team's trip to Italy last week, during which they interviewed Beckham, was undoubtedly central to raising public awareness. Beckham played ball, speaking about his admiration for the Ibrox captain, Barry Ferguson, and fond memories of Glasgow; his last sojourn was for England's 2-0 victory over Scotland in 1999.

Intriguingly, no management company has been central to arrangements for this game. A deal was struck directly between the clubs, with Rangers admitting there is a revenue issue linked directly to hosting it. Milan will be heavily reimbursed for their efforts, possibly by as much as £750,000 in return for fielding the likes of Beckham, Ronaldinho and a former Rangers player, Rino Gattuso. Kaka and Paolo Maldini were the most notable absentees among those who traveled but the Italian media have done, up to 50 making the trip.

Just as Rangers need revenue, they have seized a useful opportunity to put their name back in the European spotlight after an embarrassing exit from the Champions League in August. They are, understandably, unwilling to concede it was they who approached Milan with the concept of this match in December, when it was known Beckham was destined for a loan spell from Los Angeles.

Milan have their own numbers to crunch. This is their third friendly with Beckham, one having taken place against Hannover and the other in Dubai when another German outfit, Hamburg, were the opponents. If his deal is to become permanent, capitalizing on Beckham's global status is intrinsically linked to what salary he will receive. Fixtures such as this, which given the projected attendance and payment bestowed on Milan can already be classed as a mutually fiscal success, may well become commonplace. Glasgow Airport alone proved the public still regard Beckham as worth the hassle.