I think it all started with the sarong – that’s when David Beckham‘s career took a wrong turn. At that moment Alex Ferguson, and the rest of us, realised that Beckham was different. He was too good-looking to just be a great footballer. Perhaps if Beckham looked like Paul Scholes, none of this would have happened – the boot to the head, the transfer abroad, the pop-star missus.
It’s easy to forget how instrumental Beckham was in Man Utd’s success. He was part of the greatest midfield ever to play in the English top flight: Giggs, Keane, Scholes, Beckham. And he was loyal to Man Utd too, would happily have stayed there his whole playing career, like Giggs and Scholes. But Fergie rejected him, packed him off to Madrid.
How do you solve a problem like David Beckham? continued…
Beckham has won nothing since he left England, either for club or
country. Objectively, the second half of his career has been a dismal
failure. And now he’s fighting for his first-team place with Juan-Antonio Reyes, a player with a fraction of the talent that Beckham has. Such a shame, because Beckham had it all.
He scored a great goal for Madrid at the weekend, after coming on as a substitute (see video, below). He still has what it takes to play for England, as an ‘impact player’ (God, what a terrible phrase that is), but Steve McClaren will not make a U-turn now.
I feel sorry for Beckham, I really do. He just wanted to play football and be loved for doing it, until Yoko Spice turned his head, turned him into one half of a walking brand. How he must regret putting on that sarong…