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He's played in world cups, European championships and UK cup finals, but today David Beckham will experience real pressure.
The world's most famous footballer - in New Zealand with his LA Galaxy team for a match against the Wellington Phoenix - will strut his stuff in front of
15,000 children at an open training session.
"To have 15,000 kids and people wanting to come and watch us train ... I'm not sure I've had that before, to be honest," Beckham said yesterday.
"It's going to be a great thing for our players. There is pressure, of course, but you have to enjoy pressure and enjoy doing things like that because it doesn't happen every day."
Hundreds turned out at Wellington Airport to welcome Beckham, and he did not disappoint his fans.
A powhiri was delayed while the midfielder signed autographs, and after the formalities were over he signed many more playing strips and autograph books, posed for photos and kissed a few of the luckier fans.
"That was amazing," said Wellingtonian Hamish Lakes as he left, clutching his newly autographed LA Galaxy shirt. "I'm never washing this shirt. It's going straight into a frame."
Passengers arriving to check in for their flights had to wait while airline staff deserted their posts to catch a glimpse of the footballer.
One check-in clerk raced back to her post with a fistful of signed boarding passes that will never be issued.
Beckham told a press conference later that he had watched the All Blacks perform the haka before rugby tests against England, and was thrilled to receive his own Maori welcome.
"I've always wanted to see it face to face and today was incredible.
"I'd love to stand in front of the All Blacks and see them do it.
"It's amazing and it's very honouring for us as people and as a team to have that welcome. We really enjoyed it and all the players have been talking about it since we arrived."
It's 1982 again - count 'em
Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert played in front of the biggest soccer crowds seen in New Zealand when the All Whites qualified for the 1982 World Cup finals.
He's waited a long time to see a 30,000-plus crowd at a New Zealand soccer game again, but will have his wish granted tomorrow when the Phoenix play the LA Galaxy.
"It's a privilege, it's fantastic to be playing them and to have that number of people to a football match," he said.
Phoenix owner Terry Serepisos wasn't surprised by the welcome Beckham and his team-mates received.
"I was expecting this because I've been in Sydney for four days and I've been watching the whole hype - it's been huge. It is quite phenomenal."
More than 30,000 tickets for the game at the Westpac Stadium in central Wellington have already been sold, and Serepisos was confident all 34,500 would go.
