Beckham

[DeLorean]

Because Milan are persumably offering a nice bit of cash too, and it's with a much better team. Best of both worlds, as far as I can see.

Right, I wouldn't have thought he'd be gettin anything near the same money at Milan but didn't know really.

[gustavo]

Why didnt he play for a smaller club or drop down a league and finish his career that way like say Denis Irwin, Roy Keane, Paul Ince, Robbie Fowler etc.

Answer...show biz baby.

108 caps is an insult to Bobby Moore.

Stats in the Sunday Times showed that Moore played something like 1200 minutes more than Becks. Moore would have played 90 mins in the majority of his games where as Becks did so in only 55 games.

60-70 caps would have been sufficient for a player of his talent.

Milan only want him to sell jerseys in Asia, so did Madrid. Sad but true.

He was one of Reals best players for most his 4 years there , Been one of Milans best players since his arrival too ,

Figo has said he wouldn't move down to a lower club to finish his career but I suppose he's about the showbiz too

If a player isn't talented they won't get picked simple as that .

[Razors left peg]

Right, I wouldn't have thought he'd be gettin anything near the same money at Milan but didn't know really.

I heard speculation last week on Sky Sports News that as part of the contract offer from Milan he gets 50% of all his image rights and 50% of the the profits from any friendly he plays in

[stojkovic]

If a player isn't talented they won't get picked simple as that .

Depends on who picks the team - the manager or the owner.

[Neish]

If a player isn't talented they won't get picked simple as that .

You've obviously not been to Finn Park much over the last two years

[Pike B]

I never understood why opposing teams don't just pressure him more. If you give Joe Montana time and space he'll throw a touchdown pass, but get in his face and you nullify him completly. I would rate Beckham as a good player.A great set piece taker. No more.

[Metrostars]

Being in the US, I watch a lot of MLS games in the summer and quite frankly he and his team were shyte the last two years. Plays the games with a sulky look on his face as if to say wtf am I doing here with these jokers. Others on his team played much better than him and Landon Donovan even game up the captaincy so it could be Beckham's. The reasons why he wants to stay with Milan is (1) he likes the limelight and he doesnt get enough of that in the US because footie is not a bog enough sport and (2) he wants to get to 126 caps and Capello probably won't pick him if he says with LA.

In any case, why should LA be obliged to sell their player? So much for Beckham's comments when he first came to the US about helping build the sport etc. He's a phony and a fraud.

[Closed Account 2]

He could do a job for Man City

[Colbert Report]

This is a total slap in the face to supporters in the MLS. He is the star player of the league and everyone wants to go see him play when he comes to town. He's never played in Toronto, for example, and they sold a tonne of season tickets based on him being there.

The guy is a joker and should refund the money he's been paid so far. He's a crap player on a crap team in a crap league.

[OwlsFan]

John Giles being his normal curmudgeon self having a go at one of today's overpaid stars like Beckham:

http://www.herald.ie/opinion/columni...t-1643572.html

[tetsujin1979]

John Giles being his normal curmudgeon self having a go at one of today's overpaid stars like Beckham:

http://www.herald.ie/opinion/columni...t-1643572.html

the only mention of his wages is in the phrase "As I've always said, Beckham is a nice presentable lad and he's absolutely coining it - more power to him, he's very good at that."
If anything, that article is having a go at Beckham for claiming he would bring football to the masses in the States, and now he's decided to go to AC Milan instead

[Metrostars]

Donovan rips Beckham:

It was 24 hours after he'd learned of Beckham's desire to move to Milan, and instead of enjoying a Thursday off from practice, he was miserable. The Galaxy's awful season hadn't ended yet, but all the talk was about Beckham's possible departure. Donovan himself was convinced that Captain Galaxy had vanished in spirit weeks earlier. "My sense is that David's clearly frustrated, that he's unhappy and, honestly, that he thinks it's a joke," said Donovan, who was about to clinch the MLS goal-scoring title. "I also kind of feel [he has taken the team] for granted. I don't see dedication or commitment to this team, and that's troubling."

The longer Donovan had been around Beckham, the more he'd asked himself, Who is this guy? Why is he so secretive? Donovan had tried to have a conversation with Beckham the day before, but he'd gotten nowhere. "So you're going to Milan?" Donovan had asked.

"We'll see," Beckham replied. "I've got to stay fit somehow during the off-season."

"It's a nice city, right?"

"Some people say it is, but I don't know."

And that was it. Their lockers were side-by-side, but they might as well have been a million miles apart.

No, Donovan decided, Beckham communicated far more clearly with his actions than with his words. Donovan still couldn't fathom why Beckham had stayed in England for nearly three days after a national-team game the previous week, had refrained from traveling to Houston to support his teammates in the most important game of the year. It didn't matter that he was suspended, Donovan thought, didn't matter that he'd been given permission by the Galaxy to stay away. He was the captain of the team.

"All that we care about at a minimum is that he committed himself to us," Donovan said. "As time has gone on, that has not proven to be the case in many ways -- on the field, off the field. Does the fact that he earns that much money come into it? Yeah. If someone's paying you more than anybody in the league, more than double anybody in the league, the least we expect is that you show up to every game, whether you're suspended or not. Show up and train hard. Show up and play hard. Maybe he's not a leader, maybe he's not a captain. Fair enough. But at a minimum you should bust your ass every day. That hasn't happened. And I don't think that's too much for us to expect. Especially when he's brought all this on us."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ook/index.html

[sadloserkid]

Being in the US, I watch a lot of MLS games in the summer and quite frankly he and his team were shyte the last two years. Plays the games with a sulky look on his face as if to say wtf am I doing here with these jokers.

Got a chance to catch up with the Beckham circus myself in Minnesota a coupla summers ago when he was utterly, utterly destroyed and completely nullified by Minnesota Thunder's hardworking never-was Jeremiah Bass. He only showed any sort of urgency when trotting over to take corners where his delivery was frankly risible for the most part anyway.

That said there was a scurry of excited Minnesotan's rushing towards the corners with camera flashing every time. Whole families stood around grinning in their new LA Galaxy Beckham shirts. I was one of about 30 odd people in a Thunder shirt. They were selling Galaxy but not Thunder shirts at the ground.

All in all it was a big day out and probably worth a few quid for the Thunder but as it was marketed wholly as a David Backham event and not a football one I doubt it made much difference to football in the Twin Cities in the long run.

[EastTerracer]

I saw him play here in New York last Summer and expect to see him play again next Thursday for his "comeback" game. He looked like someone totally frustrated at the standard of the players he had to play with and against. On the ball (when he did bother to get it) he was clearly the most talented player on the pitch but the LA Galaxy were a struggling team and he was never going to make them champions on his own (or even with Landon Donovan). I think he lost all motivation when he saw how uncompetitive the MLS is.

Donovan is a big fish in the MLS but whenever I've seen him play I haven't been too impressed (even during the Confederations Cup). The fact that he failed to make his mark in the Bundesliga is very telling about his true level.

Beckham has been hugely over-rated at times during his career but I think he showed at Milan that he can still be a very useful player. When he went back to a really competive league played at a good standard you could see how much more motivated he was.

[EastTerracer]

I was in Giants Stadiumlat night to see Beckham's comeback game for La Galaxy. Despite what you might read in some of the US reports he had a decent game (expecially considering he hadn't played for a month). He played very deep but collected the ball constantly from his defenders and linked up play well (Gilesie would describe it as a proper midfield role). He was taken off late in the game when he looked obviously tired (the same thing happened in most of his Milan games).

Despite my previous reservations Landon Donovan did have a good game and took his goal very well. Still don't see him lighting up a European league though.

According to the New York Times Beckham ".....will have to give a better showing than he did Thursday night. Stuck in the middle of the field, Beckham went largely unnoticed. He often lagged behind the play and seldom ventured wide to deliver the trademark crosses that made his reputation."

Reminds me of the New York Cosmos executive back in the day who commented on Franz Beckenbauer (one of the game's great defenders) by saying "Tell the Kraut to get his ass up front. We don't pay a million for a guy to hang around in defence"

[joema]

I watched the game online. Obviously not the same as being there, so maybe the East Terracer's view is to be taken more seriously than mine!

I thought Beckham was quite poor, tbh. Gave a few careless passes away. One or two nice long-range balls though! Didn't play on the wing, so I wouldn't worry about him only putting a couple of crosses from play into the box though...as The New York Times complained.

Donovan was very impressive though! 3 great goals from the Galaxy, as well.

[OwlsFan]

What's the story about him having some bust up with a fan? Heard it mentioned on Sky but didn't see it.

[Neish]

What's the story about him having some bust up with a fan? Heard it mentioned on Sky but didn't see it.

[OwlsFan]

Thanks. Much ado about nothing.

[Docboy]

Yep, real brave of Beckham asking your man down knowing full well the confrontation would never be allowed happen. Don't blame the fans for giving him stick.