Superstar Beckham arrives amid tight security

Dubai: Blame it on the genius of his magical right foot or simply the incredible celebrity he has achieved off the pitch, but when David Beckham makes his move he gets the world to stand up and take notice.

Click here to see AC Milan stars arriving at Dubai Airport

The reception he received on his arrival in Dubai, where he joins AC Milan, the club with whom he will spend a three-month long loan spell from MLS side LA Galaxy, was hushhush.

And he and the rest of the Beckhams - wife Victoria and sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz - were whisked away from the handful of fans and media persons gathered at Emirates' sparkling Terminal 3 building and left for their hotel from the exclusive Majlis terminal.

However, Dubaiites can expect a 10-day long warm spell as the Beckham story prepares to add another interesting chapter to what has been an incredible life and career so far.

In Dubai, Beckham and the rest of the travelling Italian shindig, including such superstars as Brazilians Kaka, Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato, ex-Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko and Italian legends Filippo Inzaghi and Paolo Maldini, will train through the New Year and into the first week of January.

The club will then culminate its Dubai jaunt with the winner-takes-all Emirates Airline and DTCMsponsored Dubai Football Challenge Cup match against German Bundesliga side Hamburg on January 6 at the airlines' brand-new sporting hub The Sevens.

The security of celebrities like the Beckhams is of paramount importance to Dubai, and the few waiting impatiently to catch a glimpse of the former England skipper left the terminal building dejected, but the silver lining is that fans will have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of football's first true superstar when he turns out for the Rossoneri during an open practice session at Al Nasr Club this evening (starting 5pm).

Beckham is no head of state, but it goes without saying that his celebrity eclipses that of perhaps even the heavyweights of world politics.

Security will reportedly be beefed up during his stay in the emirate and some expect it to be second only to that provided to George W Bush when the American President visited the UAE last year.

Milan enthralled fans during their first trip to Dubai in early 2008, but this could well be the nation's biggest footballing party of 2009.

AC Milan travel manager Luigi Maragliano told Gulf News: “David Beckham has arrived for the training camp and left from the Majlis. He will join the team for training [this evening] at Al Nasr Club and is expected to play in the match against Hamburg if all goes well after our many training sessions.''