David Beckham saw bright lights and dollar signs in America, and European football didn’t seem as attractive. He saw himself on the bench at any other club around the world, but in America he’ll be on a stage. He could have gone to a club like Tottenham, and been given a chance to show that he is still a football player - but now he’s going to swap the Beautiful Game for the beautiful people. A player in his early 30s coming to the end of his contract at a big club doesn’t want to end his career at a small club (in comparison to Madrid), although he knows that if he went to another big club, he may not be good enough to get first-team football. But all this proves that he is not a great player, and he doesn’t care about the game he plays, but would rather end his career with the respect of people who don’t know the game. Beckham is a player I would not pay to see, and if you asked me to come up with a list of top 20 right-sided midfielders/wingers of the last 10 years, or of all time, he wouldn’t make it. If you asked me to come up with a list of the top 100 players of the last ten years, I still doubt he would make it. You have to have more then one five-star ability to be world class. Running around, giving your all and 'getting in there' doesn’t make you world class (look at Robbie Savage). How Beckham made second place for FIFA World Player of the Year twice, simply baffles me. Beckham’s lifestyle, his wife, the club he is at, has made him a so-called icon and great player. Playing with great players doesn’t make you a great player. Look at Beckham’s transfer to Madrid. In 2003, Real had a choice of signing one of two players. One was Beckham, the other Ronaldinho. Now when reaching their decision, it was based on a few factors, none football related. Beckham was picked because of his name, his face and his lifestyle. He was seen as being prettier then Ronaldinho (according to one Madrid director) and would bring in a bigger income for the club. Not because of his famous right foot, or his achievements with Manchester United, but because within a year Madrid would make more than double the amount they paid for him. Not because he could maybe score double figures, and assist the likes of Raul and Ronaldo, and lead Madrid to La Liga, but instead because they could get a percentage of every sponsorship deal he would be involved in. They signed him as a product. Now, look at Madrid and Barcelona since Beckham and Ronaldinho arrived in Spain. Supposedly, Beckham has done great things at Madrid, and has also peformed well for them. But tell me, which club have been the more successful because of that one player? Which club made more money out of football? Which club has the world-class player? If Beckham is a world-class player and has world-class abilities, then how come he hasn't had the same impact as Ronaldinho at Barca or Zinedine Zidane at Madrid, (and please don’t say he was played out of position at Real, he played right-central midfield).
