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Bye bye Beckham?

January 26, 2009 05:18 PM | Posted by   Jason de Vos  

For those of you hoping to catch a glimpse of David Beckham this summer at BMO Field, you may be waiting for a long time. I don’t think Mr. Posh Spice is going to be coming back to Major League Soccer and his Los Angeles Galaxy teammates, judging by the noises being made over in Milan.

This week, when Beckham was asked if he would be prolonging his stay in Serie A beyond the end of his loan agreement with AC Milan, he replied, “I can’t say what will happen. My contract says that I’ll be here until March. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Doesn’t sound like someone who is desperate to get back to Los Angeles, does it?

From the time Beckham broke into the Manchester United first team at the age of 17, his every move has been orchestrated to have the maximum media impact. For well over a decade he has been a marketing golden boy, able to command astronomical fees to put his name and image next to a product.

He redefined the term “image rights”, and if you belief the numbers that have been reported about his contract with MLS, you have to admit that he has been incredibly well compensated.

Yet at the end of 2008, there were signs that the Beckham star was waning.

A failed playoff bid by Los Angeles reinforced the notion that assembling a team of mediocre players to support Beckham and Landon Donovan was a bad idea. The end of his 10-year endorsement deal with Pepsi indicated that perhaps Beckham’s marketing appeal had run its course, much to the delight of his critics.

A polarizing figure

Beckham has always been a polarizing figure. His supporters gush over his every move, both on and off the pitch, often times glossing over his weaknesses as a footballer. His critics, on the other hand, are turned off by the circus that he and his wife so masterfully orchestrate, knocking his every move on the field of play despite his obvious ability.

I have to admit that I have a foot in each camp. I’m not a big fan of his off-field lifestyle, and the lengths to which “Brand Beckham” will go to generate publicity seem to have no end. Other sporting figures, like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods or Roger Federer, are all recognizable throughout the world, but none of them generate the media frenzy that David Beckham, or more precisely, his wife, seems to love.

On the other hand, I appreciate that he is an immensely gifted footballer. I would go as far as to say that over the course of his career, for what he does, he is one of the best in the world. Some of my colleagues will disagree with that statement, but here is my reasoning:

He has an exceptional range of passing.

Short or long, he can deliver a ball with extreme precision, and that is something that will always be in high demand.

His set-piece delivery is fantastic.

He isn’t a one-season wonder, as he has been scoring goals and delivering quality balls into dangerous areas over the length of his career. There are very few players who can whip a ball in behind a back four with the same frequency and precision as Beckham. Don’t believe me? Just ask Ruud van Nistelrooy, who benefited from Beckham’s delivery at both Manchester United and Real Madrid.

He is a leader.

Although it took some time to develop, Beckham grew into his role as captain of England. Who can forget his performance against Greece in World Cup Qualifying in 2002? He ran himself into the ground, and he capped a tremendous performance with the tying goal in the 93rd minute to send England through to the World Cup.

Does he have his weaknesses? Of course he does. He isn’t especially quick, and I don’t think he has ever beaten a fullback with pace. He’s not a great header of the ball, and some would argue that his left foot is only there to stand on.

Eye on World Cup

But despite all of that, he has still played at the highest level for his entire career. Not bad for a guy who some say is simply ‘mediocre.’

The reason I don’t think we’ll see Beckham back on these shores is because of the World Cup.

He desperately wants to play for England in South Africa in 2010, and he stands a much better chance of doing that if he’s playing in Serie A rather than the MLS. If he can perform at a high enough level for AC Milan over the next 18 months, England manager Fabio Capello will have no choice but to include him. Although the standard of Major League Soccer is improving every year, it’s not at the level of Inter Milan or Juventus, unfortunately.

We’ll know much better in March just where things stand, but if you’re a Toronto FC fan hoping to catch a glimpse of the Beckhams at BMO Field this season, you shouldn’t be holding your breath.

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