Having waved goodbye to Old Trafford after 12 seasons last month, he will pull on his new number 23 shirt for his first match since his high-profile transfer in Beijing's Workers Stadium, home of A league side Beijing Hyundai.

Not what he envisaged perhaps, but he is sure to receive a warm welcome.

Tickets have been slow to sell, but his larger-than-life image is becoming a familiar one in China, and it is him the fans will be watching when Real's constellation of stars trot out of the tunnel to play a Chinese XI.

While the match is expected to be little more than a kick around, spectators paying as much as an average month's wages to witness the event will demand goals and some silky skills for their hard-earned cash.

Real coach Carlos Queiroz promised they would get their money's worth.

"We're very happy about our visit to China. We want to give Chinese football fans a chance to see the highest quality of football, and use that as an opportunity to express our thanks," he said Friday.

Striker Raul also pledged the nine-time European champions would put on a show.

"We'll do our best to show our best level and allow Chinese fans to really enjoy the football of Real Madrid," he said amid heavy security at a press conference.

For Beckham, it is his first opportunity to show on the world stage that he is gelling with his new team-mates.

Much has been made of his move and the commericial opportunities he has brought with him, but Queiroz is only concerned about how he performs on the football field.

He has warned his star-packed roster to put their egos aside and put their noses to the grindstone.

"What is important to understand is they serve Real Madrid and not themselves," he said this week.

"As coach, when you don't have good players, that is the nightmare."

While Beckham is undoubtedly a class act, some pundits have speculated that the 28-year-old will find it hard to shine in a team jammed with the some of the world's best players.

And several of Real's stable of multi-millionaire superstars have hinted over the past week that he has still to prove he fits on the football field.

"I have been able to see that his passes are really good and I just hope that we'll able to understand each other on the field," said striker Ronaldo, who will look to Beckham to provide him with ammunition in front of goal.

Speculation is still rife about where Beckham will play.

He favours the right flank, but so does Luis Figo, who has occupied the position since he moved to Real from Barcelona.

It appears however that Beckham may have won the battle, assuming the role during a practice match in southwest China earlier in the week.

Figo has conceded that he will play wherever he is needed and Queiroz has suggested that he may move to the left side permanently, given his greater versatility.

Beckham joined the nine-times European champions on July 2 on a four-year contract worth an estimated six million euros a year before bonuses, and he has made clear only one date is fixed in his mind -- and it is not August 2 at the Workers Stadium.

"Since I signed the contract I have wanted to get to know my teammates, and once I get through that, I'm only thinking about the day that I'll be able to wear the shirt in the (Santiago Bernabeu) stadium," he said.

"It's a thought that's constantly on my mind."

The celebrity icon is scheduled to make his home debut on August 27th.