These are trying times for David Beckham.
He has been dropped from England's national team, relegated to the bench at Real Madrid and seen his once-golden image crumble. And unlike when he was vilified for drawing a red card at the 1998 World Cup, he is no longer a young man with time to redeem himself.
The way Beckham is perceived as a 31-year-old could very well be how he is forever remembered -- that is, in the words of former Real sporting director Jorge Valdano, ``a symbol of the game's commercialization.'' Valdano recently told the Times of London: ``Those who resent football becoming a business also resent Beckham.''
The resentment has grown as Beckham's stature as a player has diminished, though in reality, there isn't much of a difference between the Beckham of old and the Beckham of today. He was always a limited player, hard-working but prone to disappearing, accurate when shooting or passing but incapable of taking on markers.
But the failure of his teams, of England and Real, has brought his limitations to the fore. Suddenly, the ads for Adidas and Gillette seemed all the more ridiculous, much the way Nike's Joga Bonito campaign did when a conservative Brazil team crashed out of the World Cup this summer.
However much some observers of the sport oppose its move into ultra-capitalism, they can stomach seeing a top player, albeit an overhyped one, being marketed. They can stomach a little stretching of the truth. But they will lash out if they perceive the claims of advertisers to be blatantly false. Some semblance of substance is necessary.
That's something Real failed to understand in 2003, when it bought Beckham. Ronaldinho also was available, but Real was concerned that the Brazilian playmaker's looks -- he calls himself Feo Simpatico, or ``the ugly but friendly one'' -- could damage the Real brand. The club thought Beckham, with his model-like features, better represented the image it hoped to project.
umpkin:
The acquisition of Beckham was part of Real's strategy to indiscriminately add big-name attacking players without regard to how they would fit into the team. Predictably, such a team was incapable of stopping anyone. Real didn't win a trophy of any kind in Beckham's first three seasons with the club, something for which he alone could hardly be blamed. But as the most glamorous of the galacticos, he came to represent Real's flawed designs. Even his effort was mocked, his endless running compared to that of a headless chicken or Forrest Gump.
Making matters worse was that Ronaldinho went to rival Barcelona, where he would win two league titles and a European championship over a three-year span in which he was twice named the world's top player.
There's more. Last year, Ronaldinho had the highest income of any soccer player in the world, allowing him to take Beckham's place as the sport's most marketable star.
Real's hiring of former Juventus coach Fabio Capello this summer was seen as something that could help Beckham re-establish himself; the conservative manager was expected to strengthen the back and limit Beckham's defensive duties, thereby allowing him to focus on delivering his deadly long balls. The signing of former Manchester United teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy was supposed to give Beckham the aerial target up front that he had missed in recent seasons.
But Van Nistelrooy wasn't Real's last signing. The club also brought in Jose Antonio Reyes, who, like Beckham, plays on the right wing. The younger and more dynamic Reyes has all but nailed Beckham to the bench.
An exit from Madrid could be imminent, especially given that Real wants him to take a pay cut whereas he wants a raise. His standing with the English national team isn't any better; Manager Steve McClaren appears keen on avoiding the kind of off-the-field distractions that would accompany the player.
So what is Beckham to do?
Major League Soccer appears to be a likely destination for him at some point, even though a recent tabloid report claiming Beckham is on his way to New York has been refuted.
A move to a lesser club in Europe would be seen as failure. One to MLS would be viewed as a valiant attempt to conquer the one place in the world where the sport remains insignificant.
But such a move would be doomed for failure. Like with Real, he would be stepping into a situation on the field in which he could not win.
Beckham isn't the kind of player who can win a game on his own. (Few are.) Someone would need to get on the end of Beckham's passes, and MLS lacks the kind of forwards capable of taking full advantage of his service. Unless his team manages to secure a free kick on the periphery of the penalty box every game, he would be dismissed as a marketing creation, a Freddy Adu on the opposite end of the age spectrum. He would hold the public's interest for about a year, then become an afterthought.
By Dylan Hernandez
He has been dropped from England's national team, relegated to the bench at Real Madrid and seen his once-golden image crumble. And unlike when he was vilified for drawing a red card at the 1998 World Cup, he is no longer a young man with time to redeem himself.
The way Beckham is perceived as a 31-year-old could very well be how he is forever remembered -- that is, in the words of former Real sporting director Jorge Valdano, ``a symbol of the game's commercialization.'' Valdano recently told the Times of London: ``Those who resent football becoming a business also resent Beckham.''
The resentment has grown as Beckham's stature as a player has diminished, though in reality, there isn't much of a difference between the Beckham of old and the Beckham of today. He was always a limited player, hard-working but prone to disappearing, accurate when shooting or passing but incapable of taking on markers.
But the failure of his teams, of England and Real, has brought his limitations to the fore. Suddenly, the ads for Adidas and Gillette seemed all the more ridiculous, much the way Nike's Joga Bonito campaign did when a conservative Brazil team crashed out of the World Cup this summer.
However much some observers of the sport oppose its move into ultra-capitalism, they can stomach seeing a top player, albeit an overhyped one, being marketed. They can stomach a little stretching of the truth. But they will lash out if they perceive the claims of advertisers to be blatantly false. Some semblance of substance is necessary.
That's something Real failed to understand in 2003, when it bought Beckham. Ronaldinho also was available, but Real was concerned that the Brazilian playmaker's looks -- he calls himself Feo Simpatico, or ``the ugly but friendly one'' -- could damage the Real brand. The club thought Beckham, with his model-like features, better represented the image it hoped to project.
umpkin: The acquisition of Beckham was part of Real's strategy to indiscriminately add big-name attacking players without regard to how they would fit into the team. Predictably, such a team was incapable of stopping anyone. Real didn't win a trophy of any kind in Beckham's first three seasons with the club, something for which he alone could hardly be blamed. But as the most glamorous of the galacticos, he came to represent Real's flawed designs. Even his effort was mocked, his endless running compared to that of a headless chicken or Forrest Gump.
Making matters worse was that Ronaldinho went to rival Barcelona, where he would win two league titles and a European championship over a three-year span in which he was twice named the world's top player.
There's more. Last year, Ronaldinho had the highest income of any soccer player in the world, allowing him to take Beckham's place as the sport's most marketable star.
Real's hiring of former Juventus coach Fabio Capello this summer was seen as something that could help Beckham re-establish himself; the conservative manager was expected to strengthen the back and limit Beckham's defensive duties, thereby allowing him to focus on delivering his deadly long balls. The signing of former Manchester United teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy was supposed to give Beckham the aerial target up front that he had missed in recent seasons.
But Van Nistelrooy wasn't Real's last signing. The club also brought in Jose Antonio Reyes, who, like Beckham, plays on the right wing. The younger and more dynamic Reyes has all but nailed Beckham to the bench.
An exit from Madrid could be imminent, especially given that Real wants him to take a pay cut whereas he wants a raise. His standing with the English national team isn't any better; Manager Steve McClaren appears keen on avoiding the kind of off-the-field distractions that would accompany the player.
So what is Beckham to do?
Major League Soccer appears to be a likely destination for him at some point, even though a recent tabloid report claiming Beckham is on his way to New York has been refuted.
A move to a lesser club in Europe would be seen as failure. One to MLS would be viewed as a valiant attempt to conquer the one place in the world where the sport remains insignificant.
But such a move would be doomed for failure. Like with Real, he would be stepping into a situation on the field in which he could not win.
Beckham isn't the kind of player who can win a game on his own. (Few are.) Someone would need to get on the end of Beckham's passes, and MLS lacks the kind of forwards capable of taking full advantage of his service. Unless his team manages to secure a free kick on the periphery of the penalty box every game, he would be dismissed as a marketing creation, a Freddy Adu on the opposite end of the age spectrum. He would hold the public's interest for about a year, then become an afterthought.
By Dylan Hernandez
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but he has had his spell with sucess with man utd but with real madrid he id just a marketing image for the club thats all.