Soccer, football (whatever) fans everywhere must be shaking their heads in disbelief right about now. The L.A. Galaxy will officially pay David Beckham $250 million dollars. While not unprecedented, think Alex Rodriquez, it still staggers the mind. Is anyone truly worth that much? From what I hear, on the street a human body goes for $200 000. A-Rod and Becks may play two different sports but they are one and the same when it comes to creating their own personal marketing Kingdoms.
Shocking figures aside, good for them.
Beckham's value is not in his skills - though he does possess some. It lies in his marketability. Pure and simple. He can help sell MLS soccer and help to popularize the game in North America. To what degree it remains to be seen.
The Freddie Adu experiment didn't go so well. Of course, you can't really compare the two since Beckham has far more global reach and appeal. Actually, let me rephrase the making soccer popular bit. Soccer is already popular. It just needs to be branded and legitimized as a bona fide sport with television appeal. Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia were the last big name stars to come to play here with the New York Cosmos of the defunct NASL. Will the MLS suffer the same fate?
The sports world is divided between purists and brand marketers and advertisers now. Depending where you sit it will determine your reaction to the signing. Beckham and Posh Spice are more flash than substance. Ok. That's a tad unfair. Beckham at least played for Manchester United and Real Madrid. So he had to have some substance. But I can't defend Posh. Regardless, they are now the strict domain of pop culture. Subheading: entertainment. Beckham will be making the cover of People more than he will Sports Illustrated. Wanna bet?
Does anyone remember Bend it Like Beckham? Me either. And this brings me to my next point. Where does David Beckham rank among the greatest players of all time? It's easy for the casual fan that does not follow soccer to assume he is the best player given the exposure he gets. But what's his worth among fans? Beckham is a dead ball specialist. He also possesses wickedly accurate passing skills. In other words, he's one-dimensional. Some may quip back that he was a right back and thus had enough skills but that's not the point. Relative to the hype his skills come up short.
That doesn't mean he wasn't an effective player. He was. I enjoyed watching him play immensely and for four or five years he was among the best players.
The answer to my not so rhetorical question is simple: he does not crack anyone's Top 11 or perhaps even 2nd team. More importantly, making a Top 100 would possibly be tough for him. Personally, I think he could make the list but I know of a few fans who don't think he would. Even within his specialty there are players equal to him if not better. Bend it Like Beckham could just as easily been Bend it Like any Brazilian or Argentine. As a matter of further fact, he is not even the greatest English footballer of all time. Bobby Charlton, Sir Stanley Matthews and Bobby Moore remain well ahead.
Who are among the top dead ball and set plays kickers today anyway? Set plays can sometimes be a crucial turning point in a game. Defenders have to be careful so as to not give up a foul in and around the area preceding the 18 meter box. There are many players who are deadly when given such an opportunity. Taking a free kick is an art form onto itself and it's a test of sheer skill. Next time you see such a play and you happen to witness a goal, pay attention to how the ball was struck and how it circumnavigated the wall of defenders. Needless to say, some of the most beautiful goals are scored off a free kick.
In no particular order here are some of the top free kickers in the world. Feel free to add to the list: Roberto Carlos (Brazil), Juninho (Brazil), Ronaldinho (Brazil), Deco (Portugal), Luis Figo (Portugal), Francesco Totti (Italy), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Michael Ballack (Germany), David Beckham (England), Alessandro Del Piero (Italy), Juan Roman Riquelme (Argentina), Shunsuke Nakamura (Japan), Xavi Hernandez (Spain), Xabi Alonso (Spain) and before his retirement Zinadine Zidane (France)
So, David Beckham has reached the shores of the United States. We'll see if he'll be dining with the Prince of America Derek Jeter anytime soon.
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