David Beckham's legacy

[The Third Dukes]

From Ian Edwards on Yahoo.com's soccer page:

Beckham: Great player or great celebrity?

By Ian Edwards, Special to Yahoo! Sports

November 16, 2007

David Beckham, the rock star with his gold-stitched initials adorning his adidas boots, will hang up his Predators next Wednesday – as far as the international stage is concerned anyway – unless England is afforded an outrageous slice of good fortune and qualify for the 2008 European Championships.

His boots won't be the only things hanging, either. Beckham will be suspended in international isolation, too.

The man who has had more hairstyles than a Vidal Sassoon model figures to be left dangling with 99 international caps to his name – one short of an exclusive four-man century club for England.

Beckham has been desperate – really desperate – to join Peter Shilton (125), Bobby Moore (108), Bobby Charlton (106) and Billy Wright (105) – but the odds are he will be denied because his international career seems doomed to end in frustration and anti-climax.

Unless something freakish happens with Israel and Russia on Saturday (given England's wretched luck on the international stage in the past 40 years or so, that isn't happening), Beckham's final appearance in an England shirt against Croatia at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night will be irrelevant.

Steve McClaren will probably get fired, World Cup qualifiers for 2010 won't begin until late next year and the only other game on the England schedule right now is a friendly against France at the Stade de France in March.

How transparent would the selection of Beckham for that game be, when the only objective is rebuilding, presumably, under a new coach?

Beckham's presence would be intrusive and unwelcome and, more important, pointless. In the way his time at Manchester United and Real Madrid came to a natural and anti-climactic end, the same is about to happen with his England career.

So assuming that England doesn't make it to Austria and Switzerland for Euro 2008, what will be Beckham's legacy? Well, even his short bio on the Football Association Web site gives the game away.

"Arguably the biggest name in world soccer. Not only are his crosses and free kicks incomparable – his work rate is second to none."

Translation: Beckham was good at set pieces when no opponent could tackle him and he ran around a lot looking busy.

Even Luis Figo, Beckham's one-time teammate at Real Madrid, where his move provoked controversy among the likes of Roberto Carlos and Raul because they did not deem him good enough to be a Galactico, said: "His great virtue is his constant work ethic."

Not exactly a giant of the game then, eh David?

In short, Beckham will be remembered as a tattooed, stylish, sarong-wearing, one-half of a celeb marriage, seller of glossy magazines and maker of millions.

The undisputed football icon of the last decade happened to play the game to a reasonable level but not much more than that.

Oh, and don't forget his other lasting legacy: familiarizing the whole nation with metatarsals ahead of the 2002 World Cup. Even that injury has become a fashion accessory these days.

And, yes, hard as it is to recall now but people really did kiss pictures of his foot, trying to help him heal more quickly, after his awesome free kick against Greece got Sven Goran Eriksson to the World Cup. But, for all the attendant hype, where does Beckham the footballer rank?

Maradona, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Zidane, Figo, Platini, Gullit, Pele, Van Basten, Charlton, Moore, Ronaldinho … Beckham. I don't think so!

His name ought not to be mentioned in the same breath as such true legends of the game. He does not belong in that pantheon of greats. He does not even come close.

Beckham had no genuine pace and no real tricks, and his 97 caps for England so far have produced 17 goals, which hardly justifies inclusion in the prolific category.

The others mentioned above were blessed with inhuman levels of talent. Skill, audacity, vision, creativity, individuality … those qualities all dripped from their bodies and sparked from their boots. They could win any game on a whim.

Beckham was and still is a robot, who has never been able to run and is a one-trick (albeit a good one) pony.

I once worked closely with former England defender Stuart Pearce, who was also quite good at free kicks and charged around with menace in his eyes. I remember talking to him about the errant talent that was Stan Collymore. Pearce, in his typical forthright manner, held up his little finger and pointed out that Collymore had more talent in his pinkie than he had in his entire frame. He was right, too. The now England under-21 coach won 78 England caps and Collymore won a miserable two, before fading from the game as a wasted talent.

Pearce maximized everything he had and Beckham has done exactly the same, with a little more finesse and far more creative marketing. He did so, with no small amount of courage too. In the same way Pearce recovered from his penalty miss in the 1990 World Cup, which left him a pariah in the English game for a while, Beckham won back the love of the nation he lost for his red card stemming from his petulant kick at Diego Simeone in the 1998 World Cup. And of course Beckham was the focal point of United for so long and can point to six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and Champions League medals he won.

However, it is arguable that United still would have won those things without Beckham. Was he an important member of the team? Yes. Vital? Definitely not.

Real Madrid will argue that Beckham's 25 million pound transfer to La Liga was more than worth it, when you consider the shirt sales and marketing effect Beckham had all over the world. If Madrid could have its profile raised any higher, Beckham was the man to do it and that is no mean feat.

He won over those who doubted him too – but he won just one title in four seasons with the Galacticos and scored 10 goals in 87 games – again not exactly a huge impact for the investment, but there are redeeming features.

Taking on Ferguson was more an act of foolishness than bravery, but Beckham has to be admired for the way he has not let fame damage or corrupt him. He remains a regular guy and genuinely loves his family as much as he loves the game that has been so good for him and he for it.

They are virtues that escape a good many footballers in their millionaire playground, but that should not get him into the World Football Hall of Fame (if there was one) either.

From the moment he married Victoria "Posh Spice," after a six-month romance, Beckham was destined for the showbiz lifestyle and to be rubbing shoulders with TomKat in Hollywood. In that context, the fact that the end to Beckham's career will be played out amid the surreal hype and stunning mediocre football of Los Angeles and the MLS is somehow fitting. Sad … but fitting.

Edited November 17, 2007 by The Second Dukes

[Turbo Yannis]

They'll say he had great hair

And something about a free-kick against Greece...

And I love how I'm meant to compare David Beckham to guys I have no fucking clue who they even are.

Edited November 17, 2007 by Turbonegro

[Nerf]

KARL MALONE!

[Grounded Wingman]

When all is said and done David Beckham will be remembered as the most high profile (but nowhere near the best) of the outstanding batch of kids that Alex Ferguson brought through in the early 90's. A player who introduced himself to the footballing public by scoring from the halfway line against Wimbledon, who got sent of for kicking an Argentinian in 1998 and who scored a free kick in injury time againt Greece so England qualified for.

He is lauded as a style icon because his wife dresses him and because he cannot be lauded for his football abilities. He can hit a mean cross (just don't expect him to go past his man before he does it) and take a good free kick (but he's not the only player who's ever done that) and he runs about like a dafty. He was too petulant to properly play in his best position (right midfield) and ended up screwing up the tactics of the teams he played for by always coming inside because he wanted to play as a centre midfielder (which he wasn't good enough to do).

He is a pretty boy poser with a talentless wife. As a footballer he will be remembered as, at best, marginally better than good but with very little natural ability. Natural ability is not his only barrier to greatness though. Take someone like his former Man Utd colleague Roy Keane. Keane will arguably go down as a great, not because of his natural ability, but because of his work ethic (which Beckham has) and his winning attitude and ability to drag his team up by the bootlaces when the chips are down (which Beckham doesn't have).

Beckham has not wasted his potential - he has been marketed to more than maximise the limited potential he has, but his football career will be a footnote when they talk about the style icon who married a Spice Girl and got paid an inordinate amount of money to be a good footballer in a piss poor league.

Fair play to him - I wish I had his money, but at least I am a more talented footballer than he is.

[Turbo Yannis]

That Beckham bloke's shite, eh?

[therockbox]

Good player who did well to overcome what he went through in the aftermath of the 1998 World Cup. I think moving to the MLS has will taint peoples memory of him, he's never relied on pace so I think he still had a good two or three seasons left in him in a top league.

[Guest Big Boss]

Role player with legendary clutch skills, definently.

[britneyspearsisgod]

None of the above, because most of the people who saw Beckham through his whole career probably don't know who half the guys on your list is. By definitions, he was a talented player who offered his clubs many options on the right, He transended the conventions of just being a olayer through his celebrity endorsements and helped create a new form of Galatico - he brought the American-style endorsements to the European game. Whether that's a good thing or not remains to be seen.

His move to MLS might leave him in the light of a messiah, if he can help build the league up to a strong standard. Personally, I don't see it. But I wish him all the best and will think of him in a good light.

[JimbobJoylove]

When all is said and done David Beckham will be remembered as the most high profile (but nowhere near the best) of the outstanding batch of kids that Alex Ferguson brought through in the early 90's. A player who introduced himself to the footballing public by scoring from the halfway line against Wimbledon, who got sent of for kicking an Argentinian in 1998 and who scored a free kick in injury time againt Greece so England qualified for.

He is lauded as a style icon because his wife dresses him and because he cannot be lauded for his football abilities. He can hit a mean cross (just don't expect him to go past his man before he does it) and take a good free kick (but he's not the only player who's ever done that) and he runs about like a dafty. He was too petulant to properly play in his best position (right midfield) and ended up screwing up the tactics of the teams he played for by always coming inside because he wanted to play as a centre midfielder (which he wasn't good enough to do).

He is a pretty boy poser with a talentless wife. As a footballer he will be remembered as, at best, marginally better than good but with very little natural ability. Natural ability is not his only barrier to greatness though. Take someone like his former Man Utd colleague Roy Keane. Keane will arguably go down as a great, not because of his natural ability, but because of his work ethic (which Beckham has) and his winning attitude and ability to drag his team up by the bootlaces when the chips are down (which Beckham doesn't have).

Beckham has not wasted his potential - he has been marketed to more than maximise the limited potential he has, but his football career will be a footnote when they talk about the style icon who married a Spice Girl and got paid an inordinate amount of money to be a good footballer in a piss poor league.

Fair play to him - I wish I had his money, but at least I am a more talented footballer than he is.

[therockbox]

"his winning attitude and ability to drag his team up by the bootlaces when the chips are down (which Beckham doesn't have)." Is there a more obvious example than against Greece? (which you even mentioned at the start)

[JimbobJoylove]

Fair point, but essentially he stepped up and was the guy who got us there in the end. I'm no big Beckham fan by any means, but there wasn't any signs that Gerrard or anyone else was about to get us to the WC.

[therockbox]

I don't think the end justifies the means though, we were lucky that we were playing such an average side. Against anyone decent, we'd have gone out. It just strikes me that people use that match as Beckham's "defining game" when he was just as at fault as anyone else.

[Grounded Wingman]

What has Beckham ever done for England that didn't involve taking a free kick? He scored a last minute goal which got you out of jail after the team put in a dreadful performance against Greece. A 2-2 draw against Greece is hardly the stuff of legend anyway.

If he's the 2nd best right midfielder that England have ever had then England have obviously never had any decent right midfielders.

His form for Madrid at the end of last season was good, granted, helped by the fact that Ruud Van Nistelrooy is awesome and Barcelona lost Eto'o. 1 trophy in 4 years in Spain is not so good.

As for the Man Utd youngsters. Yes, he was better than Nicky Butt and Phil Neville. Paul Scholes is a far superior player (and basing anything on England performances where Beckham has achieved next to nothing, bar that free kick against Greece, is daft. But if you want to the I'd suggest Scholes's 2 goals in the 2-0 playoff win vs Scotland were at least as important, in a game you won, and away from home as well). I despise Gary Neville, but he is a far better right back than Beckham is a right midfielder and, if you include Giggs (which I wouldn't) then he shits on all of them anyway.

Long passing, crossing and free kicks is Beckham - he can't beat a man, has no tactical discipline and his creativity is lacking. The only thing of vision he ever did was that goal against Wimbledon, which was admittedly the best goal in Premier League history.

Compare him to Zola or Figo (both who can take free kicks and cross well) and he is found wanting.

[The Quasi Juice]

Long passing, crossing and free kicks is Beckham - he can't beat a man, has no tactical discipline and his creativity is lacking. The only thing of vision he ever did was that goal against Wimbledon, which was admittedly the best goal in Premier League history.

[Adam]

He's a great celebrity, I dont think he was ever an amazing player though.

[Hobo]

His story, is pretty interesting but in actuality he's mostly hype. There were always better player, more complete players. All he has/had is crossing and free kicks. The same can be said in ways for many English internationals, they're mostly hype. But Beckham is 10x the hype because of who he married and what he looks like and all that jazz. Society always latches onto characters like Beckham, coming from humble stock to achieve great things, the hero of men and the object of desire for women.

It's little to do with his talent as a footballer. He could cross, he could take free kicks and he could do that really well but that was about it. What clinched it was the whole fairy story that his life has been (signed at 14 to Man Yoo, married a Spice Girl etc etc) and of course that he's attractive. I mean you wouldn't see this kinda hype around someone like Peter Beardsley for example.

[Legend_Killer33]

FUCK YOU. IAN EDWARDS!

Seriously. People who claim Beckham is not worthy of legendary status are douchebags who are clutching at straws.

[DMN in the House]

Dukes analogies are horrible. The Knicks were never 'better' without Patrick Ewing.

[The Third Dukes]

Dukes analogies are horrible. The Knicks were never 'better' without Patrick Ewing.

[thuganomic]

Dukes analogies are horrible. The Knicks were never 'better' without Patrick Ewing.