When I told friends years ago that I thought David Beckham might extend his stay in America’s Major League Soccer, they thought I was crazy.
But I stood by my opinion through all of Becksy’s injuries, through his controversial loan spells in Italy, through the endless criticism of the player’s perceived lack of effort and through his team’s relative lack of success during that time.
My belief all along was that Beckham was truly interested in the American lifestyle and in the American dream of making soccer finally work in the country. I thought also that Beckham was very interested in becoming a team owner and what better place to do that than in the brand new MLS?
Beckham just recently won the MLS championship with the Galaxy and now that he has agreed to stay with the team and the league instead of moving to more glamorous Paris St. Germain where he might actually have been given more money to play, it looks to me like Beckham is ready to take his MLS experiment to whole new level.
I think that despite criticism of his play, this decision will be good for both Beckham and American soccer.
Great to see Becksy finally win the MLS Cup. He’s had a lot of critics over the years in England and America – but I’m not one of them.
He’s always been a great professional who trains hard, tries to get better and better and focuses on winning.
On top of that, his presence has lifted the popularity of soccer in North America.
With a trophy now under his belt it could be a perfect time for David to move on but I think that if he’s into living in LA, he should just stay and finish his career in the MLS.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the 2011 MLS championship game, the LA Galaxy’s David Beckham gave his opinion on FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s notion that racist words on a soccer pitch could be swept under the rug with a handshake:
“I think the comments were appalling. I think a lot of people have said that. I don’t think the comments were very good for this game.”
“It’s still there and can’t just be swept under the carpet and can’t just be sorted out just by handshake,” Beckham said. “It’s not the way of the world and not the way racism should be treated. It’s out there.
Becks still has a fine touch on the ball. Watch how this beautifully curling cross finds Mike McGee’s head and so on into the back of the net – powering LA Galaxy on to the MLS Cup final.
Speaking to the United Review on the 25th anniversary of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign at Manchester United, David Beckman explained just how important a part the manager played in his career:
“That loyalty and respect for one club is unbelievable and it’s not something you see these days. It says a lot about United as a club and the manager. It’s 50/50 with my parents – that’s how highly I regard the boss.
“My parents were the ones who brought me up and helped get me to a certain level in my career, and the manager is the one who took me to a whole different level. He’s the sole reason why I was successful. He gave us everything we needed to become the players and the men that we are today.”
Sir Alex is famous for how many young players he turned into stars.
As for Beckham – he seems to remain eternally young and hungry.
Last night his LA Galaxy defeated Thierry Henry’s New York Red Bulls 3-1 on aggregate in the MLS play-offs and the 36-year-old Becksy was in on all of the goals.
“He is more than a football player – he’s a brand, a pop star. I would always consider him. He respects the rules, listens to you and wants the best for the team. That’s why for me he is a big example. I worked with him and that’s why I talk about his name.”
“I coached him at AC Milan and we created a good relationship,” Leonardo told BBC Sport. “He is more than a football player, but when you see him every day he trains and plays like a kid. He is someone that I really appreciate and admire so much – his values and everything he has done in football.”
Amen to that Leonardo – while we have never thought Beckham to be the best player in the world, he has always been the best professional, a great model for young players.
