David Beckham, others test out new Adidas soccer boot in Madrid

England star David Beckham will hope to bend the ball even further at next year's World Cup finals in his new soccer boots.

The Real Madrid midfielder took turns with other top players taking free kicks at an Adidas boot launch this week. They also shot a ball against a wall to measure how fast it was moving. "To be honest I couldn't wait to get into them," Beckham said Monday. "I've been looking forward to getting into them for a while and they feel great and they look great, so I'm happy."

Maybe the new boots will help Beckham avoid another embarrassment.

At last year's European championship in Portugal, he slipped while taking a penalty and shot wide as England lost to the host in the quarter-finals - the third straight penalty missed by the England captain.

The new Adidas Predator Absolute is expected to be worn by Beckham and others at next year's World Cup finals in Germany, including AC Milan and Brazil midfielder Kaka, and Real Madrid and France midfielder Zinedine Zidane.