HUCKLED into a waiting Park's of Hamilton bus, and hemmed in by fans on all sides, this was David Beckham's welcome back to Glasgow after an absence of nearly ten years.
AC Milan's arrival in Glasgow brought out all types; the usual eBay gannets, with eyes fiercely fixed on the main chance. The made-up girls, with eyes on the main man. And then the football fans, both young and old, simply keen to record the moment a
Panini sticker album was made flesh at Glasgow airport.
But one face in particular was the equivalent of the much sought-after foil badge, and is the reason why AC Milan have embarked on an rather odd schedule of 'glamour' matches, from Dubai to Hannover and now on to Glasgow.
Such was the frenzy that, as well as one fan being knocked clean off his feet, we had the novel sight of a former European Footballer of the Year striding through the airport relatively unmolested. Many may have forgotten that Andriy Shevchenko is back in the colours of the Rossoneri, and such was the Beckham effect that few seemed to even care about Kaka's ability to steal through the throng, barely noticed. And knock me down with a manbag, isn't that Ronaldinho? The buck-toothed chap who has won a World Cup with Brazil?
Again, on another day, this might have stirred the blood. But fans were more interested in a bona fide hero. And for once at Glasgow Airport, we weren't talking about John 'Smeato' Smeaton.
This venue is now used to the drill. When not dealing with blazing vehicles, the security personnel will now simply cast a weary eye in the direction of another busload of footballers, earrings glinting, iPods plugged deep into lugs. But as with Diego Maradona's arrival for his first match as Argentina head coach in November, this was a bit different.
Goldenballs' feet hardly touched the ground as he was swept along by a sea of fans. He would not have been able to free his arms to sign the variety of items thrust in his face even if he had wanted to.
His security men looked more worried than Beckham himself, and the thought struck that after an entire nation coming to a halt – as it appeared to do during the World Cup in Japan and Korea in 2002, at the height of Beckham-mania – then this must seem small fry indeed.
"What do you think of Glasgow?" screamed a television reporter as Beckham walked by. Undeterred by his failure to react, she yelled the same at him again. He responded this time, although it was difficult to make out much more than "good" in his brief reply.
There was a whiff of religious zeal present in the air, as many sought to touch the charmed buttocks of an idol. The theory has taken hold in Milan that Beckham's behind brings good luck, hence the sight of his team-mates patting said body part amid goal celebrations.
The Milan flight landed at just before midday and its stellar contents were unloaded in efficient fashion, a phrase which adequately describes the club's entire trip to Glasgow.
Milan could not have cut it any finer had they landed on the tea-time flight from Milan, and shuttled straight to the ground.
A hurried post-match departure, which saw them back in the air by the time the Glasgow subway gates were locked, meant the trip to Scotland lasted the princely period of 11 hours.
One tabloid newspaper this week ran a feature where one of Beckham's supposed 'advisors' rang up various high-profile emporiums in Glasgow to enquire about their ability to cope with a visit from a superstar. All were entertainingly bowled over at the prospect.
In the end Beckham merely had time to fit in a few hours of beauty sleep prior to last night's fixture, with the AC Milan squad whisked straight from the airport to the gothic-looking Marr Hall hotel in Bishopton. A lone, kilted valet guarded the entrance, allowing access only to those who had been blessed with the foresight to pre-book their lunch.
Other less-suspecting diners will have been grateful for the thick linen napkins provided, as they spluttered into their soup at the sight of someone more often seen in Scotland when gummed up against a billboard in just his briefs.
