Poll:
Should that be it for David Beckham?
How come we don't hate David Beckham? Why is it that our national love of
David Beckham is not even a matter for debate? How come you hardly ever meet
a dissenter? It's not as though there aren't grounds.
I was in the pub the other night, discussing, since you ask, wildlife
conservation in northern Paraguay. But at the bar, it was all football. What
did I think about England's match tomorrow? I mean, 100 caps, he deserves
it, doesn't he? All he's done. That penalty against Argentina. Above all,
that free kick against Greece. Great man.
And off we went, a review of favourite Beckham moments, and the conversation
continued long after I was back at my table talking about hyacinth macaws
and jaguars. Not a dissenting voice: Beckham is great, and 100 caps is the
least he deserves.
That's not the sort of thing you hear in the press-box. True, most
laptop-carrying cynics moderate their tone in print, but not my old friend
James Lawton from The Independent. Lawton, not a man known for his
reticence, has pursued Beckham with extraordinary vigour throughout his
career: if Beckham wins a knighthood, it could only be for his services to
the art of self-promotion, while his crowning achievement of Wednesday night
is “a Mickey Mouse milestone”.
Lawton's harrying of Beckham is based on sporting logic, as he sees it. It
also involves a soul-deep opposition of temperament. Beckham stands for a
million things Lawton despises. But Lawton is not one of many. He's a lone
voice. Why is there not a substantial following of these views? Why aren't
they the views of the majority?
Why don't we all think Beckham is a prat? It's certainly not because he isn't
one. He is a lot of other things as well, but, normally, any public figure
with the slightest tendency to pratishness is subjected to merciless
vituperation. Count that double if you are a footballer.
Take haircuts. It has been suggested that a true measure of Beckham's
contribution to the England team is not 100 caps, but 100 haircuts.
Normally, any sporting figure who adopts an out-of-the-way haircut will get
taunted for it till the end of time.
David Seaman's ponytail was an instant national joke, but Beckham's taste for
a coiffeur of infinite variety is accepted everywhere as an essential part
of the man.
Then there is all the prattish self-exposure. How can we not hate a guy who
flashes his crotch at us from every bus in his capacity as
knickers-salesman? Beckham looks more concentrated on the tackle in these
posters than he ever does on the pitch: but it doesn't worry us. Everybody
still thinks he's great.
Then there is that absurd wife, Relatively Posh, as Brian Glanville has called
her, more than once I believe. She has achieved the status of national joke,
without any question: but somehow Beckham rises above it all. You'd have
thought that a man so flagrantly uxorious, so blatantly pussy-whipped, would
become a laughing-stock in turn: but this has not happened.
Then there is the gay icon stuff. The societies of both football players and
hardcore football supporters are notoriously homocentric and homophobic. Yet
Beckham, posing frequently in an ostentatiously homoerotic manner, has
somehow failed to alienate either of these demanding societies.
There is plenty of ammunition for Beckham-hating even if we turn to pure
football. Some blame him for England's defeat by Brazil in the World Cup
quarter-finals of 2002, when he jumped out of a tackle in the move that led
to Rivaldo's equalising goal.
His penalty-taking has been a disaster. He missed two in the European
Championship of 2004, one of them when England were on the verge of a famous
victory against France. He had earlier missed one in a crucial qualifier for
the same tournament, in Turkey, and yet another when England went out of
Euro 2004, against Portugal.
Beckham has consistently been a disappointment at the highest level. He never
fulfilled his stated ambition of becoming the greatest footballer in the
world. He was never able to take control of an international match against
top opposition, never able to make the jump from very good to great. He was
nowhere near as good as the other 100-cap-wearers, Billy Wright, Bobby
Moore, Bobby Charlton, Peter Shilton.
If we are going to pursue a course of strict sporting logic, we have to say
that David Beckham is a footballer who has failed. He is a prat of the first
water, a self-publicist who does things calculated to alienate his core
audience, a leader who loved the title of leader more than the practice of
leadership, and, at base, a man who was unable to take England beyond a
certain level because of a sense of vertigo: because, when it really
counted, he consistently suffered from a failure of nerve, a failure summed
up for ever by that penalty kick in Portugal, where, as the great leader
taking the first kick in the shoot-out, he sent the ball spiralling high
into the Portuguese night and English hopes down to the bowels of the earth.
But we are not logical. There are other, equally real parts of Beckham: and it
is to those that most people respond. Ah yes, that game against Greece!
Wonderful entirely, but for God's sake, it was seven years ago.
But so what? Beckham has his place in national affections and it is not to be
shifted. The allure of Beckham's story stays with us. It begins with the
tale of his sending-off in the 1998 World Cup finals, his status as national
villain, hanged in effigy in his sarong. But then comes his redemption: how
he stayed in England, faced the booing and the hating, took Manchester
United to their glorious treble the next year, and then came the return
match against Argentina, in the World Cup of 2002, in which Beckham scored
the only goal, and it seemed, for a moment, that all the harms and
unkindnesses and injustices of the world had been healed with one strike of
that famous right foot.
In Beckham's fall and his rising again, we all see something of ourselves, for
we all know hardship and all would love to rise above it with such courage,
in such triumph: we, too, would have run at the photographers, arms
extended, to tell the world: you can't bloody well destroy me.
And along with the mesmeric qualities of the tale, there is the nature of
Beckham himself. He's a nice chap. You can't get away from that. There is a
decency, a loyalty, an honesty about him. He's not nasty, he does his best,
he tries constantly to do the right thing. There is a transparency about
him, a complete absence of deviousness.
People feel comfortable with these homely virtues. They are not exceptional,
he is not a saint; but perhaps that's the point. He has made himself an
exotic figure, with his exotic photographs and his exotic wife and his
exotic talents: but behind all this is the most extraordinary ordinariness.
Beckham has given the world all kinds of reason to despise him and they simply
haven't worked. Cynicism, prejudice and even logic have had no chance. The
beauty of Beckham's story and the decency of his nature have been too much.
You have to admit that it has been a dazzling career. He is the ultimate bling footballer. Loads of dosh, an over-the-top celebrity slag of a wife and the ability to string more than two words together in a squeaky voice. Then there's the ultimate in blingdom: he's currently earning squillions playing in a league even MLS administrators know is Mickey Mouse. Just watch him become a celebrity scientologist next.
Oh ... there was the wonder goal against Greece and a penalty he didn't miss against Argentina. There's been the hairstyles, the occasional free kick and that Champions League victory in '99 when he was probably the fourth best midfielder in the team.
Mark Eggleton, Sydney, Australia
First of all is the most over rated player, I have ever seen. Its beyond being ridiculous now & I wish it would stop. He's never really been that close to being world class or even a great player. Beckham is at best an above average right sided midfielder. He can't dribble. Yes he runs & runs & shows passion, gives 100%, but so do Flamini & Gattuso. Yes, he has a god like right foot which sets him apart from the 2 aforementioned players but thats it. Thats it! All in all he is a world class dead ball specalist & passer of a football with great stamina & shows passion who has played in 2 very good teams with world class players & sold out by not carrying on at the age of 31 at a great club like Milan, but instead became neighbours with tom cruise & took the easy life. Other then his right foot, he is also all about image. Without
either, he'd be a rightwing back. As for the man, I lost respect for him when he became about the fame & self-publicist tours & more so when he went to LA.
George, N London, England
Peter Ryder
You are right Simon Barnes is a prat. He wants to be a Dandy. Dandy is an old fashoined word but accurately reflects the ideal of the male in New Britannia or Cool Britannia.
That is the problem with english sport and it flows on to the media.
Anyone who has any success in england immediately wants to become a dandy which means "Look Mum, forget my roots, I am more stylish than the common man."
Immediately anyone forgets their roots, they are out of touch with the people they are trying to entertian.
Liz, Melbourne, Australia
The Times has used a great deal of expensive space for an article which contributes very little.
W. Jarvis
Toronto
W. W. Jarvis, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Because he is proud to be English.......................and we are an abandoned people.
Marty, London,
All that you say may be true, Mr Barnes; however, do we have to despise a man because he is a prat? Do we have to despise a man because he and his wife are less than intelleigent? Also, do we have to despise a man because he has become incredibly successful in his chosen endeavour?
Capello is not an idiot. Therefore, we must presume that David Beckham was chosen either because he was the best man for the job, or and more likely, because there is such a dearth of good players in England that David Beckham was the best man for the job.
I don't read, or listen to, anything that Beckham and/or his wife say (life is far too short). However, I do congratulate them both on being incredibly successful in their chosen fields. He is, also, incredibly good at manipulating the media.
It is not intelligent to damn a man because he is not intelligent or because he is chosen to play for his country. Did anyone expect him to turn down the opportunity? He is not that stupid!
Marc, Paris,
Whilst at Real Madrid after training he signed every autograph, posed for every photo that fans wanted - in direct contrast to many other of the rich and famous at that club.
Coupled with his workrate, this endeared him to the notorious fickle RM fans.
Good luck to him!
John Alford, Madrid,
It's not Beckham who deserves the hate, it's the stupid press corps that seem to have nothing better to do than build him up to knock him down. AS a person what is there to hate about David Beckham, be jelous of maybe, but hate!?
Thomas, Salisbury,
Overall I'd say he did pretty well for himself, much respect.
Apart from the sarong of course.
King, Chamonix, France
I think the reason I like him is that he is a professional, high profile athletic that doesn't have a hugh ego, a rarity these days it seems. He is by all acounts a nice guy, and seems to always give 110% (if not more) effort to whatever team he is playing for with the goal of a win for the team. He has personal qualities anyone can admire, and I think he still has some of the best passes in the game - it has never been his job to score, but to place the ball where others can ... and he is unselfish in that. I hope he is left with the legacy he deserves.
Leslie Dunleavy, Newtown, Bucks County, USA
At Shawna from Canada:
Caps represent the number of times he has played for England. The term comes from the fact that traditionally, for every match played for your country a player is awarded a cap to wear. Hence 100 matches, 100 caps.
Asim, London, UK
David Beckham is the ultimate underdog.
Pierre Bernardi, Paris, France
Sorry to be silly, but please bear with a foreigner : what are caps? I am a Canadian and I enjoy soccer [football] and know about Beckham but I do not know what caps means.
Shawna, Ottawa, Canada
He's very good at what he does, he always seems to give 100%. Despite all the cash in the bank he doesn't act like a spoilt brat, sulk or get quoted criticising others. He is proud to play for England, And above all appears to be a decent, genuine person, So no, I'm still not sure why we should hate him....
Julie, Dubai, UAE
He's got no left foot, he can't head the ball, can't tackle, and he's not especially quick. Given those limitations, he's done pretty well.
Stuart Mackenzie, Glasgow, Scotland
A nice chap maybe, with a magical right foot. But he's been hideously overrated, at times absurdly compared with the likes of Zidane. This rankles.
Beckham represents a loss of perspective, an elevation of celebrity over sport, the intense glare of his fame blinding people to his deficiencies as a player. Which might not be entirely his fault, but I don't agree that he's fundamentally likable either: his vanity off the pitch is tiresome, and his self-indulgences on it - abetted by England managers in thrall to his fame - have contribute to the predictable, turgid play we currently endure from our national side.
Andrew, Maidenhead, Berks
100 caps for a player of only one talent crossing the ball. Yeh he runs & runs but that is not worth 100 caps. Lucky to get 60 for me. Not even the best player in any team he has played for untill his move to joke ball USA. But just remember he did it for the kids moving to joke ball !
Alan Cottman, bournemouth, england
I watched the England-France match. I was very impressed how Beckham could croos a ball such long distances and drop it right at the feet of his team mate. And he ran hard. But England isn't just one player.
David, Ghent, Belgium
One of the most overrated players ever.
P.Jekk, Bergen, Norway
I'm a Spaniard, fan of the Real Sociedad (not Real Madrid). I don't know a lot about Beckham, his life, his wife. But I have to say I was very surprised when I watched him in a match Real Sociedad - Real Madrid. For me it was a pleasure to see a player so famous to work so much, to run, to fight every ball. We spoke between us: 'he is an English player'. You should be proud,
iosu, Bask Country, Spain
David Beckham -- whatever you may think, all you have to do is compare him with the "greats" on his team and perhaps you see why the people love him. The mumbling, ineffectual Steven Gerrard? Thug #1 John Terry? Wayne "let's have a few pints then a fight, but first I must harrangue that ref there" Rooney? Rio "Come to my party" Ferdinand? Ashley "I think you should never clean that car" Cole?
Beckham works hard. He is the genuine, transparent, real person he seems, warts and all. He is far more articulate than his teammates; he is not influenced by the press nags; his passing and shooting skills are still the best -- and he tipped the scales for Real last year. Finally, he was a scapegoat in 2006 for the failure of his younger -- squad members -- Gerard, Lampard (what was he 24 shots, zero goals?) etc. Did he pout? Did he throw a tantrum. No, he's a class act, and England are lucky to have him, and a lot of you resent it. And now he's abandoned you for America! Hahaha!
Joel Cairo, Oakland, california
I can't stand him - he is a complete prat! The admiring comments just show how stupid the English are.
Joanne, Brighton, England
(SB knows full well that "prat" is) exactly the right word for DB. It is not scoundrel, cad, blackguard, villain, crook, or politician. DB is a prat. That doesn't exclude him from affection, or deny him his talent. I(t makes him a bit of a joke, not a George Bush. Nor does it excuse those underpants with the kitten down the front. They alone justify "prat"
George Edwards, beijing, PRC
He never won the World Cup, so what is the point of his career?
Pete Nichols, London,
People who are not good at a particular venture hate people who are.Beckham has galvanised football here in north america and remember he is nearing the end of his career.he is still better than a big percentage of top line players.
frank hackett, taylor , michigan usa
Beckham would never have made a journalist because he couldn't be gratuitously and unpleasantly rude about someone solely for the sake of his own reputation.
For some months I have been tempted to point out what a prat Simon Barnes is (beard and central parting?) but I have held back out of a sense of decency and fairness. I think this article gives me permission. Ever since winning the title of sports writer of the year he has been a prat, saying anything to get noticed. Even in this article he can't help some name dropping about his interest in nature, mentioning exotic creatures safe in the knowledge that most of us wouldn't know anything about them and no doubt hoping to impress us on the way.
Peter Ryder, Middlewich, UK
Although I'm usually up in arms at even the slightest criticism of David Beckham, I have to admit that I agreee with most of what Simon has said. If it was anyone else we would hate them!! I usually vehemently disagree when someone tries to say he isnt all that great of a footballer but deep down I do feel disappointed that he never materialsed into the great footballer that I want to believe that he is.
vicky, pretoria, south africa
Yes Simon, he won all those Premiership medals, FA cups and a Champions League because he has nice hair.
Alex Ferguson, Sven GE and Capello know nothing about football. I despair at the media ignorance about Beckham's ability. Look at the last 4 minutes of the Champions league final in 1999 Simon and see who drove that team to victory.
The Giggs goal against Arsenal in the cup semi-final is remembered but the first goal by Beckham is forgotten, without which there would have been no Giggs goal as United would have lost in normal time.
Pearls before swines.
Jim C, Brussels,
Beckham is a great media story and he must have a good PR agent! But lets face it , has a England team with him in it got to a European Cup Final..... or to a World Cup Final? Now its time to find a young team who have a passion about playing for England and who have a strong leader.
Denmark can win a European Cup......Greece can win a European Cup........Salaries are not large for some of the players in these countries but when they step up to play for their country they seem to have the "attitude"
Their needs to be an England team who are less concerned about weekly record salaries and media stories and more concerned about playing within a "winning England team"
Beckham is history and its time to invest in the future ....and hopefully winning teams!
Cris, Alton, Hampshire
Watching Brown, Downing, Bentley, Cole and Cole fail to cross the ball from the wing gives some sort of assessment of why Beckham is so highly thought of. Sure he's very rich, flamboyant and has dubious taste, but what a change from boozy violence, foul language, and criminality that is so typical of the average Premiership player.
David Beckham would have pretty well everything had he not employed Alan Ball as a voice coach.
Terry Hamblin, Bournemouth,
Only the football bothers me about Beckham, he's welcome to the money, the cars and the acclaim.
The disappointment mentioned in the article must affect most football fans. Beckham scored a great goal for United against Real Madrid in the champions league, bursting past a couple of defenders and lashing the ball into the net. Sadly, this appears to be have been a one off, and he has been a wing back for most of his career, leaving great promise unfulfilled.
Michael, Rushden, Northants,
You said it yourself, Simon;
"there is the nature of Beckham himself. He's a nice chap. .. There is a decency, a loyalty, an honesty about him. He's not nasty, he does his best, he tries constantly to do the right thing. There is a transparency about him, a complete absence of deviousness."
That's why most of us don't think he's a prat. He just isn't one and he didn't get to 100 for nothing either, so you shouldn't call him one. Most of us don't care if he wants to be famous, make lots of money and marry a star. Good luck to him and thanks for everything, especially the Greece game. He is only resented by the narrow-minded, the jealous and the press-followers.
John C
john Cullen, cork (ex Liverpool), ireland
The whole debate about giving him 100 caps is a joke. I mean what does 1 extra cap actually mean? Do we now rate him any higher because he has 100, and not 99. I don't for a moment think that Capello bowed to sentiment but picked him because he truly rates Beckham. He really thought the guy that fought so hard for him at Madrid would still be able to deliver for him now.
Somehow I think that given Beckham's lead footed display against France, Capello won't make that mistake again. If truth be told his fame was not matched by his talent. He's a good player, not a great one and his time has passed.
nick, london, uk
We love him for the same reason we love being in a bar surrounded by beautiful, glamorous people. His beauty, and her beauty (see the latest Vogue if you doubt me) is compulsive. Fascinating. Since the dawn of time we have been drawn to beauty. He's Adonis. The best looking bloke in school, that annoyingly good-looking mate who has the girls flocking round, and by being with him we can bask in reflected glory. The girls might just fancy us too! He makes every one of us glamorous, and we love him for that. That smile, that body, hell, even those godawful tattoos look good. He's what every average joe wants to be, and the best thing is, he seems to love us. That smile says, I want to make you feel good, I want you to like me, and it's impossible to resist.
As a footballer, he's slightly above average. Vastly over-rated, But who cares? He's the most beautiful man in the world, the most famous man in the world, the most fancied man in the world, and he's ours. All ours.
Ash, London,
Beckhams not the best footballer in the world by a long shot, but he's a very very good one - and he's proud to be English unlike most of the overpaid spoilt idiots we currently have.
The sports press seem to have a huge grudge and simply end up looking jealous, pathetic and out of touch - do they ever speak to anyone who isnt a sports reporter and doesnt join in the whinging?
Chris, Norwich,
If you really want to assess the level of skill and professionalism of David Beckham, just take a look at the man who is tipped to replace him. Bentley is about as far removed from the level that Beckham has achieved as my 1998 Ford Fiesta is from McLaren's F1 car! Against France there was only one member of the English team who gave 110% commitment and enthusiasm, who demonstrated world-class qualities and who exposed the under-performance of players like Gerrard and Cole and the second-rate abilities of players such as Hargreaves and Downing. Only David Beckham deserved his place against France.
Keith Downer, London, UK
I hate the way Beckham bashers continually ignore the fact his generation of english footballers have failed as a group yet it is always David Beckham who seems to be singled out for abuse. Lampard, Gerrard, Terry, Cole, Scholes etc... these are all players that have failed to perform whilst playing for england yet it is always Beckham who bears the brunt of the criticism. should we really blame beckham for falling in love with a famous woman - which lets face it, is what has propelled him to stardom???
From a football point of view Beckham has been better than most other english players whilst playing for england - however his best has not been enough and england have suffered.
i guess my point is that David Beckham is not soley the reason for the england teams poor showing and people should remember that when Beckham Bashing!
Ed Robinson, London,
I hate him with a passion, always have done, always will (and don't get me started on his Mrs). So do many others, check out the groups on Facebook!
Great point about Scholes and what might have been if he was good looking (and if Becks was a ginge)!
Ed, Blackpool,
Why doesn't he just retire?
His country doesn't need him in much the same way as his magical mystery tour to the USA proves that he doesn't need us.
A decent yardstick of a player might be would you pay hard earned cash to go & watch him for his football skills if you did not support that team - with players like Gazza, Hoddle, Gullit, Zola, Bergkamp, Best there is a case.
I have no desire to pay to see a Bee buzzing about trying to escape from an upturned glass, so he would not be on my list. He has always been so much better at self publicity involved in football
Nice to see so many of his fan club defending his Royal Beckhamness - they'll get over it when puberty kicks in though
Jeremy, Farnham,
He retains popularity because he is a nice fellow, a family man, with the sort of commitment and patriotism normally only seen in Rugby players.
He retains popularity because most English Premiership footballers are loathsome, vile, selfish, spiteful, spineless little toerags and in comparison, he looks like a saint (or, again, like a Rugby player).
Steve O, Colchester, UK
What a bunch of haters. Say what you want, but Beckham has been a great player for England. If anything, the quality of his England team mates is what is over-hyped. Capello understands this and as he once said, why listen to those who clearly know less about football than he does?
Mark, Barcelona, Spain
Most of these comments are utter garbage. Total sour grapes from people who take pot-shots at Beckham from their own situations of insignificance.
Seb from Essex has got it right.
Beckham isn't the best footballer that England has ever seen. That's obvious. However, he has scored consistently for all the teams he has played in. Very often he has been England's only way of scoring (from dead balls and pin-point crosses).
I just don't see why some people need to knock him. I'm sure he couldn't care less about the people who offer ridicule. Why is it that Brits have to shoot at anyone who raises their head above the parapet and tries to make something of themselves.
I didn't see much from Bentley on Wednesday that made think he could oust Beckham. Bentley's flash of petulance and the fact that he gave the ball away a lot wouldn't get him a starting place in my book.
Martin, Cambridge,
RE: your reference to David Beckham gaining a Knighthood.
If the loathsome and contemptible Alan Sugar can become a 'Defender of the Realm' for years of grasping greed and by trampling all over his fellow Brits just to get ahead, then why not Beckham? Surely bringing pleasure to millions of Brits via his football exploits is more worthy?
If the Knighthood scheme was ever brought into disrepute then it was on the day that that evil, slimy little snake got one.
J Roberts, Manchester, UK
"You can say what you like about Beckham, call him a prat or a overated media loving football player, but the fact of the matter is that he was a great player"
A good player maybe but a great player he was/is not. This is why he never really cut it in internationals he just wasn't the great player he was touted as.
But hey good luck to him fame and wealth you cant knock him for his success.
Gordon Bowerman, kitzbuhel, Austria
The reason England loves Beckham?
Pride.
Without fail he would be proud to pull on the three lions. Every time the anthem was played you could almost see a tear in the corner of his eye.
Even when he was not on top of his game, he would still give all he had for England.
Take a look at the despondency and despair he showed when he came off against Portugal, with an injury that would keep him out of the rest of the tournament should England progress.
He will always be a hero to the average man.
Darren, Norwich,
UTTER RUBBISH!
Kat, Chester,
"Be angry at someone you're sad for"? "Beckham career represents the fall of the country of england?"
What utter drivel.
SJ hit the nail on the head. We continue to love him because he represents everything any boy who has kicked a football could dream of. Forget the fact he does daft things; he is like all of us - he is a man, ergo he does stupid things.
An ordinary, decent guy with an average upbrigning rises to world fame, fortune, global statesmanship and 100 caps for England football team via Man U, Real Madrid, adversity none of us could ever fully appreciate, 8 years as England captain by virtue of dedication, no shortage of ability, and a will to take on responsibility and never to be beaten.
So, feel sorry for him? He represents a fall? Please. Anyone who thinks this needs to take a good look at themselves. This sort of view represents everything about the sort of mentality the characterises failure in sporting and any other area of life.
simon martin, jakarta, Indonesia
The reason that Beckham is loved, and is rightly a role model for all our young sporting talent, is that he worked so damn hard to be the very best he could possibly be. He was not the most naturally gifted of player, even coming through the ranks at Man U. He did not have blistering pace, could never beat a man with the dribble, but he always gave 100% and honed his right foot into a wand. Always the first to training and the last to leave, practising free kicks for hours after training ended, determined to be the best player in the world. So, he didn't quite make it, but he got a darn sight closer than most. Consider another English midfielder from the same Man United youth team, Lee Sharpe. Equally as talented, if not more so, but not as dedicated and he got lost in the footballer's lifestyle. How England needed a left midfield player when Beckham was in his prime. England needs the bright young English players to follow his example, because we need the new Lee Sharpe's to succeed.
Paul, Sao Paulo, Brazil
David Beckham satisfies the english need to take potential talent and destroy it. What is his haircut never mind his performance. For style over substance. To snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. To offer everything and actually deliver nothing. To think of yourself as grand but actually be bleak.
To Be, But to really not Be.
This is the long history of the country of England.
This is the long history of David Beckham.
Beckham career represents the fall of the country of england perfectly and for both it is a sorry tale.
Todd, Rusliup, London
Remember the young boys, Becks and Owen and the promise of 10 years of fantastic possibilities for English soccer.
Well those 10 years is over now.
It is a sad and sorry tale of missed potential.
In them we trusted.
With them we failed.
We don’t despise Beckham because we know that deep down he has not fulfilled his potential.
Thus we as a nation have also not fulfilled ours.
It is hard to be angry at someone you are sad for.
John, Nottingham, England
Becks made lots of money for very little talent.
Why be angry when every kid on the street kicking the ball dreams of the same thing.
I wish England would take penalty practice though.
Sam Newman, Birmingham, England
You can say what you like about Beckham, call him a prat or a overated media loving football player, but the fact of the matter is that he was a great player. As a Man Utd fan I will always remember him for his part in the greatest football side i have ever witnessed, the 99 Treble winners. He was a vital part of that side and no one can deny that. His equalising goal against Tottenham on the last day of the season being one. As far as performing on the highest stage, two assists against inter, two against Bayern and one against Juve, suggest that he did thrive on the biggest stage. This suggests to me that a chronic weakness in team England was at fault in those tournaments not Beckham. Players like Sinclair, Heskey, Vassel and Mills were never going to be good enough to be world champions.
Sebastian Hughes, Colchester, Essex
Leave the pretty man alone. ;-)
Andrew, Cincinnati,
I've often wondered - what if Paul Scholes looked like Beckham and vice versa. Or even if Beckham lacked that insatiable, embarassingly shameless thirst for publicity and self-promotion.
We'd be talking about Scholes as the best player of his generation, as the most creative player since Gascoigne, and Beckham would be little more than a journeyman international.
Never was world class, and even as a Man U fan, his limitations were always acutely apparent, and the adulation he receives makes me cringe.
So long Becks, take your 100 caps and shuffle off into the LA night (I would add 'with dignity', but I think he shed the last vestiges of that when he plastered himself on buses wearing nowt but a pout and his underkecks.)
Thom James, Auckland, NZ