Like him or not….

…you hafta feel sorry for Beckham. First he signs a deal he can’t pass up to join LA. (If someone offered you the chance to make that kinda money you wouldn’t pass it up either). Now he takes a bad knock and could be out of action for a while. However, I’m sure he’ll be fully recovered by the time his deal with Real is done.

What really caught my attention in that article from the Times was the quote from Lineker.

“Of course, bringing back Beckham … could only be considered a short-term fix because, when he moves to the United States in the summer, he is going into semi-retirement. That is what is happening. I know what it is like because I went through it when I moved into Japanese football.

“The standards will be lower and he will be a long way from home. That will definitely be the end for him.”

I have nothing but respect for Lineker as a player, but he’s basing that opinion on information from almost 15 years ago. The sport has changed a lot in those years. You see a lot more players from Asia and North America in the Premiership now…where there any back then?

Anyway, weather or not Becks makes it back in McClown…errr McClaren’s lineup is something he has no control over. Just like he didn’t have a ton of control over Capello’s decisions. But he’s already won one manager over, who knows what else he can do.

He’s still handling all this controversy in a classy manner and who knows what he’s capable of. In this non-English person’s opinion, there really aren’t too many others capable of performing better for the Three Lions. Perhaps someone else will be naming the English squad in the near future.

Either way, I’m hoping Beckham has a fast recovery and he proves many more doubters wrong.

The Beckham show

The global media attention around MLS and the Galaxy in particular has never been anything close to what it’s been the past few weeks. I mean, TV camera’s reporting on Open Tryouts at the HDC allowing a kid from England to fly over to LA, spent an hour on the pitch, receive his 15 minutes of fame in the process and now have the ability to tell his grand kids we had a trial with a team David Beckham was on. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame him…it’s just that 2 months ago, there wasn’t enough media around to find that story. This summer we’ll be seeing an unprecedented amount of media types at the HDC. Looks like MLS is getting some Return on their Investment already.

However, there is a flip side to this. Regardless of what many on the other side of the Atlantic are saying, Beckham is still in his prime…at least that’s my irrelevant opinion. The way he has handled the turmoil of the last few weeks is incredible. I could see a lot of players folding under what he went though. Last week he created quite a bit of news when he scored in his return. This week, however, things didn’t go quite as well for Becks. Personally, though I am a bit bias these days, I thought the card was pretty harsh. However, two things got be about this. First, the fans in Madrid were positive about Beckham’s performance. To go through what he has the last few weeks and still come out with a reception like he got just shows the personality and determination of the guy. I can’t wait to see him in LA. Second, have you noticed how much attention the US media is giving Beckham? There’s been talk about the US being the last place the “Beckham Brand” hasn’t taken over. Looks to me like he’ll be a household name before he arrives. Think about it, how many people do you know who don’t watch soccer mentioned the signing after it was announced.

This is gonna be a wild summer, between Beckham, los Copas America y Oro…and, of course, MLS. Now, if only the snow would melt.

Never play again huh?

After being told he’ll never play for Real Madrid, Becks scores in his first match back.

I can’t wait for him to bring those freekicks to the HDC.

Wonder what the British media will say if he does well the rest of the season in Spain?