Europe, Keeping it real, Leagues, Serie A POSTS
Beckham lives the dream
Published by Andrew Reilly on March 9, 2009
Are you a soccer fanatic? Do you have strong opinions about the game? Think you have the chops to write about it? Contact Us then...With domestic cups taking pride of place in England and Scotland and most of the top European leagues featuring the big teams looking forward to the Champions League and Uefa Cup ties this week, it has been hard to find a team worthy of the Keep It Real: Team of the Week status. Therefore, the choice this week is going to be a little more abstract but when it comes to living the football dream, it doesn’t get much bigger than owning a team.
Games like Championship Manager and then Football Manager have created millions of wannabe bosses all over the world but the thrill of actually owning a club falls to very few people. The people that do own football clubs tend to be like Roman Abramovich, who is so rich that he was able to buy players in the way that everyday people buy bread and milk or there is the Ebbsfleet United experiment in England, where the club is owned by a community of footballing fans. There is possibly going to be a new breed of football club owner in the next few years though and that is David Beckham.
It is impossible to keep Beckham out of the news and the recent announcement that he is going to sign a unique time share contract between LA Galaxy in the MLS and AC Milan in Serie A has pleased football fans in Europe but has angered some of the soccer fans in the United States. The forums have been full of fans complaining about Beckham taking their game for granted and running off when another club showed some interest in the player. It is fair to say that Beckham probably made a mistake in moving to the United States so early in his career when he still had a lot to offer but if there is one thing that David Beckham knows, it is how to get good publicity.
It has been very quickly said that Beckham is moving to Milan for less money than he currently earns in America and that he is very happy to come back and play for the Galaxy when the Italian season ends. However, the latest announcement that Beckham intends to purchase a MLS franchise when he hangs up his boots has made many US soccer fans re-evaluate their stance on Beckham once again. Given that Beckham probably intends to stay in America after he retires and will want an easier time from the press, this announcement is probably no surprise but it is another positive reaction to the people who seem intent on giving Beckham a hard time over his life on and off the field.
Marrying a pop star is not a good way of keeping a low profile but the criticism offered on Beckhams playing style and the number of England caps that he has won doesn’t really stand up to the scrutiny of the managers who have continually selected him. Alex Ferguson and Fabio Capello are probably the two most highly rated managers in England and even though both have had public fall-outs with Beckham, both still rate the player very highly.
There will no doubt be criticism of Beckham for the way that he is putting time and money into helping a US soccer side as opposed to one of the many struggling football clubs in his native England. However, if you were to examine the actions of the players that Beckham played alongside for Manchester United and England who have now retired, it is unlikely you will be able to find any who have done as much to raise the profile of the game or to encourage youngsters to take up the sport. There are clearly commercial motives for Beckham to make this announcement and to be seen to be promoting the sport in the US but for living the dream and for doing more than most to take football to new people, David Beckham is definitely a footballer who keeps it real.
** Picture credited to: Urban Shore girl**
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Nabyl Charania on Mon, 9th Mar 2009 6:25 pm
Becks is a complex guy, but he has made a go of it at Milan and looks like he will be in the English Squad for the World Cup..(if England makes it
Al-Nashir Charania on Mon, 9th Mar 2009 11:10 pm
I’m going out on a limb and saying that England will not only make, they will reach the finals. With Golden-Balls scoring the winning penalty in the Semi-final against Spain (btw Liverfool’s Torres will get sent off in extra-time) You heard it here first on decipher soccer!
Ian John on Tue, 10th Mar 2009 4:58 am
This whole agreement with Milan is simply a way to keep himself playing at the required level for as long as possible. He moved to L.A Galaxy for two reasons, money and publicity and while they have been successful on both counts, I think professionally he knows he made the move from Madrid at the wrong time. The Milan move is simply a means to address that.
Nabyl Charania on Tue, 10th Mar 2009 11:06 am
Al – I think you’ve lost the plot…you’re obsession with Golden Balls has overtaken your senses. England always do one thing well… choke…