Bhaktapur, November 6

For 14-year-old Selina Hyoumikha it was like a dream come true when she and her Shree Padma School mates played football with legendary former England international David Beckham.

The Taumadhi Square, just in front of the iconic Nyatpola temple, was designed as a football pitch for a ‘token match’ and Beckham fans from the Valley surrounded the stone-tiled 'ground’ behind the ropes as cordoned off by police.

They desperately waited for Beckham to come and when he combined with Shree Padma students in a 10-minute match, the crowd came to its feet along with chants of Beckham! Beckham!

The former Manchester United star Beckham, who arrived in Kathmandu this morning in a chartered flight from Papua New Guinea, was here for the filming of BBC’s documentary  David Beckham: For the Love of the Game.

The tour, dubbed as 7X7X7 named after Beckham’s charity organisation and seven matches in seven continents, is part of the star footballer's 10 years as Goodwill Ambassador of United Nations Children’s Fund.

Beckham’s plane touched down at the Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:55am and he came out of the VIP terminal sporting white jeans and black T-shirt holding a cap in his hand. After waiving to the crowd, Beckham was escorted to a vehicle in which he was spotted taking ‘selfie’ with UNICEF officials.

Safa-tempo ride

Beckham’s carcade stopped at Sallaghari and the legendary footballer drove a Safa-tempo — an electric three-wheeler to Bhaktapur Durbar Square with one of the securities seated beside him. Beckham then took a round of the earthquake-hit Durbar Square and spent more than half an hour at the Shree Padma Higher Secondary School.

He also conversed with people affected by the devastating earthquake, which was a part of the documentary shooting, at Byasi before going to Taumadhi Square.

Poor security

The security arrangement at the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was pathetic as Beckham was almost squeezed by the crowd at the gate of the Shree Padma HS School.

Handful of police personnel deployed to control the crowd seemed clueless when Beckham took a walk at the Durbar Square before entering the school premises.

Apparently worried about the crowd trying to reach closer to him amid the poor security arrangement, the organisers rushed Beckham from the backdoor while taking him to Byasi where he had a chat with earthquake survivors.

Though fans and followers waited for him before the school gates, Beckham boarded a vehicle taken to reach Taumadhi Square from Byasi.

Dreams come true

The set was prepared at the Taumadhi Square where the school students were ready to play with the star footballer. Beckham shook hands with all the players lined up for the match at the centre of the pitch and the match began amidst a loud cheer from the crowd. Beckham exchanged passed with the local kids and enjoyed the match thoroughly.

He also took a free kick and also attempted long-range shots, although the size of the ground was smaller than a futsal arena. After the match, Beckham shook hands with differently-able people who watched the match from a corner of the pitch.

One of the players, Hyoumikha said she had never thought of playing with Beckham. “We are overwhelmed to get the opportunity to meet Beckham,” said Hyoumikha, an eighth grader. “We felt so good playing with him. I had wished to meet him but today I am speechless. I cannot express my feelings through words,” she said.

Another student, Ayush Shah said he had seen Beckham on TV and playing football with such a big star was a dream come true. “We are more than happy that we got the chance to play with Beckham,” said the 14-year-old. “Beckham told me that he was happy to meet and play with us,” Shah said. “I also told him the same,” he added.

Nepal is Beckham’s second stop after Papua New Guinea in the charity series that includes seven matches – one each in seven continents. Beckham will leave for Buenos Aires of Argentina on Saturday and travel to Djibouti, Miami and Antarctica.

The final match of the series will be played on November 14 at Old Trafford, the home of Beckham’s former club Manchester United. Beckham will lead the Great Britain and Ireland team against the Rest of the World team captained by French legend Zinedine Zidane.