At 37, most footballers have retired, or are on the brink of hanging up their boots. Most footballers though of course aren’t David Beckham. Most footballers at 37 have lost their pace. Beckham never had any pace. Most footballers look haggard and grey at 37, Beckham seems to age like a fine wine. Most footballers’ value diminishes the older they get, Beckham’s just seems to inflate weekly – which is why, until there’s an announcement from his ‘people’, we’re going to be overloaded in the media about his possible destination. Currently on the radar we have PSG, Melbourne Victory, NY Cosmos, and God forbid, QPR. Which brings us the question: why would any serious football club consider signing a player who, let’s face it, hasn’t been very good for at least ten years? Well we all know why. He’ll undoubtedly bring with him wherever he goes manic media frenzy, increase the worldwide profile of whoever he joins, and of course the old tiresome pitch of ‘imagine how many shirts sales you’ll have.’ But why oh why would any serious football fan want him?
Surely your main interest as a fan is your team’s success on the field – nothing else really matters. The only people who benefit from a signing such as this are the owners in their new Beckham 23 shirts, up in the boardroom, toasting their Moet to celebrate their investment. The thought of him signing for QPR fills me with dread. This isn’t because I don’t want to progress, I do, but I want it to be because of how our team performs on the pitch, not how we perform off it. Nothing would signify becoming a ‘boutique club’, as the former owners once said, than signing Beckham. It sends out all the wrong signals long-term and would be completely contrary to what the likeable and impressive Tony Fernandes has been saying since he took over at the beginning of last season - that we’re planning for the future to become an established Premier League club. As a seemingly loyal and decent man, it would be a big surprise if he endorses such a move. but with relegation now a real possibility he might be looking to-recoup some of the substantial money he has already put into the team as he attempts to turn Rangers into a global brand – see signing of Ji Sung Park and Julio Cesar.
Surely your main interest as a fan is your team’s success on the field – nothing else really matters. The only people who benefit from a signing such as this are the owners in their new Beckham 23 shirts, up in the boardroom, toasting their Moet to celebrate their investment. The thought of him signing for QPR fills me with dread. This isn’t because I don’t want to progress, I do, but I want it to be because of how our team performs on the pitch, not how we perform off it. Nothing would signify becoming a ‘boutique club’, as the former owners once said, than signing Beckham. It sends out all the wrong signals long-term and would be completely contrary to what the likeable and impressive Tony Fernandes has been saying since he took over at the beginning of last season - that we’re planning for the future to become an established Premier League club. As a seemingly loyal and decent man, it would be a big surprise if he endorses such a move. but with relegation now a real possibility he might be looking to-recoup some of the substantial money he has already put into the team as he attempts to turn Rangers into a global brand – see signing of Ji Sung Park and Julio Cesar.
Let’s face facts, Beckham hasn’t been very good since he left Manchester United, and if he looked like Luke Chadwick he wouldn’t have received even close to half of his 115 England caps. He did, of course, have an excellent time at United and was an integral part of the best midfield the Premier League has ever seen, which went on to win their famous treble in ’99. Fans often dwell on his undoubted expertise from set pieces. Ian Harte, however, actually had a better scoring and assist record than Goldenballs, he just had the misfortune of looking like one of U2’s roadies. His crossing ability was certainly his biggest asset, but once the opposition nullified that, he really wasn’t much use. Eventually his mentor, Ferguson, decided he was surplus to his plans and off-loaded him to the other biggest club in the world, Real Madrid. How often has a player left United and gone on to have a more successful playing career? I would say never. Fergie simply doesn’t get that sort of thing wrong. After a decent start in Spain, his five years there were satisfactory, but he hardly set La Liga alight, and in 2007 a star was pawned as LA Galaxy came a knocking.
A lot has been said in the last few weeks about the ‘Beckham Experiment’, which certainly put MLS on the map initially, and it will be very interesting to see how the league develops in the next few years without his presence. Beckham is no longer a footballer, he’s a marketing tool and a symbol of how much football has changed in the last fifteen years. No one can blame the man himself for capitalizing on his image. The entire clamor about his possible destination suits him and his team perfectly because once he stops playing his value will plummet overnight. Just please don’t come home to London.
A lot has been said in the last few weeks about the ‘Beckham Experiment’, which certainly put MLS on the map initially, and it will be very interesting to see how the league develops in the next few years without his presence. Beckham is no longer a footballer, he’s a marketing tool and a symbol of how much football has changed in the last fifteen years. No one can blame the man himself for capitalizing on his image. The entire clamor about his possible destination suits him and his team perfectly because once he stops playing his value will plummet overnight. Just please don’t come home to London.
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