Spanish super club Real Madrid touched down
in football-mad Thailand promising a goal bonanza to help tsunami
survivors when they face the national under 23-side in a pre-season
friendly.
"Thank you for a wonderful welcome from all the Thai fans," Real striker
Raul Gonzalez said on Thursday after the team arrived from Japan on the
final stop of their summer world tour.
"You can expect a great match tomorrow and the team will be playing the
best football in the world. I hope to see lots of goals," Raul told a
packed press conference at a Bangkok hotel, as hundreds of fans and
hotel staff screamed and leaned over barriers to photograph the team.
Match sponsors have pledged 200,000 baht (4,800 dollars) per goal scored
at the Rajamangala Stadium to survivors of the December 26 Indian Ocean
disaster that claimed nearly 5,400 lives in Thailand.
"We're hoping to shoot lots of goals because the donations will help
tsunami survivors," Real midfielder Jose Maria Guiterrez said.
Real's Brazilian coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo said he was pleased to be
back in the Thai kingdom having visited here several years ago when a
coach of the Brazil national team.
Thailand's under-23 side, which will play in this year's Southeast Asian
Games, is fresh from a successful mini-tournament in Bangkok in which it
finished second against three English Premiership clubs.
Thai coach Charnwit Pholcheewin was quoted in Thursday's Bangkok Post as
saying his team knew they were in for a tougher test than they faced
last week against Everton, Bolton and Manchester City.
"The players have learned a lot from those matches," Charnwit was quoted
as saying.
As they entered the hotel the Spanish giants were adorned with wreaths
of purple orchids, including England captain David Beckham as Thai
officials and fans jostled with security to welcome him.
Beckham is due Friday to meet Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra,
who last year made a failed bid for English side Liverpool and will
attend the match later in the day with his cabinet, local reports said.
Real Madrid on Wednesday beat Japan's Jubilo Iwata 3-1, having been
humiliated 3-0 by Tokyo Verdy two days earlier.
The tourists narrowly won 3-2 against Beijing Hyundai on the weekend,
having beaten Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 and Mexico's Chivas 3-1 in the
United States earlier in their tour. |