Becks again, briefly
I heard Alan Green on FiveLive, twittering on about Becks. He was suggesting that the decision to move to the US signalled the imminent disappearance of Beckham from the radar and that because Major League Soccer is a ‘joke’ in the US, he shouldn’t be heading west.
Respectfully, Mr Green, you are totally missing the point. Let’s put the money aside for the moment, though I have no doubt it played its part like it does in every transfer. The fact that this story is all over the sports press in the UK, Spain and no doubt across the footballing world should be telling us that Beckham is unlikely to disappear the moment he gets on the plane. Does Alan Green really think that when Beckahm first dons the LA Galaxy colours, there will be no international press in attendance? Does he seriously think that there will be no interest in the progress of the biggest football celebrity the world has thus far seen? Please.
Think a little more laterally here. The owners of LA Galaxy have not bought Beckham on a whim. He is a massive figure in the UK and Japan, countries with which the US have particularly close ties. His influence on football watchers throughout the world really should not be underestimated. And for heaven’s sake, at least they are trying to do something to raise the profile of their sport among the adult population. It is because the sport is currently a joke that huge names like Beckham are needed. It doesn’t matter that he is a class above every other player. The fact that he is there is all that matters. It’s about speculating to accumulate. Applaud the effort to improve the future, don’t deride the present.
Beckham is his own man. He and his management make very few errors; and you cannot deny how hard the man works everywhere he goes inside or outside the game. He’s already played for two of the biggest clubs in the world. This is a smart step away and a plan for the future. Whether he can being a revolution in the MLS is open to debate. But disappear? I hardly think so.
Let’s face it, Pele, Moore, Marsh and many others went over 30 years ago in a failed attempt to launch a precursor to the MLS, and we still talk about them today. I believe they filled out stadia whilst they were there, so Beckham will be on the football radar for the forseeable future.
In fact, Beckham being Beckham, he will feature in the press wherever he chooses to ply his trade – Spain, The States, or Uzbekistan.