Beckham doesn't please everyone

David Beckham has settled in Paris and not everyone is impressed by the arrival of the former England skipper.

The arrival of David Beckham, completed a week later by that of his family, hasn't changed much in the life of the inhabitants of the lofty eigth arrondissement of Paris where the new PSG signing has settled.

« It's Beckham, not Poutine »,explains this restaurant owner. « Head of states often come here and that's when security is doubled or tripled. He's "just" a football player. On top of that, the Bristol is used to it. And so are we. Many actors, singers and famous people come down there. To be honest, the only problem is the attitude of some of the paparazzis. »

A gallery owner of the rue de Penthièvre, the back door of the luxuous Bristol hotel where Beckham will be lodging for his five-month contract with PSG, doesn't say anything else. « Some of those photographers are literally sitting on the sides of my windows! Frankly, I'm fed up. They are there all day long, waiting, getting the way of things: smoking, having a coffee, eating, generally being an annoyance... I'm within an inch of lodging a complaing. »

On the sidewalks of the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, in front of the Bristol, many journalists can be found. As many as thirty on Wednesday, even more when Victoria and kids joined David in Paris. And that doesn't sit well with this storekeeper. « Some people lean against my shop window. They prevent potential clients from seeing when I have. What if the Beckhams want to come in? »

Nicholas Mc Anally