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"Real" coach Wanderley Luxemburgo recently defended the often criticized team star, Englishman David Beckham. During weekend matches, some "Real" fans lost patience and booed Beckham as he was substituted. Luxemburgo believes that critics of Beckham are going too far and states that the reason for the player's below-par performance is that he is not playing in his preferred right-back position, but in the midfield. "Beckham is the player who tries the hardest, and he is not playing in his favorite position," said the Brazilian coach. "He sacrifices himself for the team, not just to sell more jerseys." The "Real" coach also took the opportunity to defend other team stars Raul and Zinedine Zidane, who have been showing unimpressive performances lately. "Neither Zidane nor Raul have forgotten how to play football," said Luxemburgo. "They just haven't hit their stride yet. Raul is a football deity in Spain, so critics are harder on him. Patience is needed in football." Brazilian national team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira also defended another "Real" star, Ronaldo. "He just needs a bit of training and a few good matches. Soon he will be the Ronaldo everyone knows."
