Rapturous applause reverberated around the LA Galaxy ground in minute 28 of David Beckham's first full game at his new club, as the 'Riot Squad' - as the fans are called - and his jubilant family got the moment they'd all been waiting for.
Putting behind him the frustration of the previous weeks, the football hero - who'd been out of action suffering an ankle injury - curled the ball into the back of the net, scoring with one of his trademark free kicks.
The former Real Madrid player's own celebrations on the pitch were mirrored in the stands, where his eldest son Brooklyn punched the air in delight, before turning to hug a young friend. Beside the little boy, wearing a black dress and shades, and holding his little brother Cruz was mum Victoria.
Throughout much of her husband's 63 minutes on the pitch, the new first lady of soccer kept a cool demeanour. Having insisted her aim in the States was "not to break America but support David", the 33-year-old must have been overjoyed. A further thrill was that the sporting ace had just been named Galaxy's captain.
As he came off the pitch, modest David played down his part in his side's 2-0 win against DC United, saying: "We worked hard as a team and played hard as a team and we won as a team."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
