26th March 2008.
France hosted England in a friendly in a match both managers Raymond Domenech and Fabio Capello deny as meaningless (however one is going to Euro 2008, the other has no choice but to twiddle his fingers this summer due to his predecessor’s incompetence).
A match where arguably England’s best defender is made captain for the night.
A match where, even without the likes of Thierry Henry and Karim Benzema, France (and Nicolas Anelka in particular) dominated their English counterparts, exposing their lack of guile and flair.
But this match will always be remembered for a certain David Robert Joseph Beckham making his 100th appearance in an England shirt.
Even though he didn’t lead the Three Lions out on the Stade de France pitch, he was welcomed with a warm reception by both sets of supporters.
But the question remains; can he still cut it ON the pitch?
Let’s face facts. Beckham the Footballer will always be overshadowed by Beckham the Celebrity. Type in ‘David Beckham’ on Google Image search, and more often than not the first page will display him either with his wife and kids, lounging in a beach, or sporting a new tattoo.
Don’t get me wrong. He was instrumental to Manchester United’s success, particularly in 1999. He is a role model for the younger generation of budding footballers, especially after the way he dealt with his treatment after France 1998. He can still strike a dead ball with such accuracy and panache. Hell, his display against Greece in October 2001 was one of the best I have seen from a player (and that’s not even mentioning THAT free-kick). He was a good player. Nothing more.
Compared to the other Manc youth products, Beckham was a limited player. He was never going to be more skillful than Ryan Giggs, nor as intelligent as Paul Scholes. He wasn’t the type of player who’d have a team built around him (examples: World Cup 1998, 2002, and 2006; Euro 2004). His work-rate and drive were outstanding, but that can only take one so far on the pitch. His A-list status overshadows almost all of his cons.
After Barcelona lost out on the Beckham bidding war against Real Madrid in 2003, and opted to go for the less marketable Ronaldo de Assis Moreira a.k.a. Ronaldinho, they benefitted with back-to-back La Liga trophies. It took Becks and co. at Real 4 years after his move to win one. Real did sell more shirts though…
An interesting argument on why he was able to reach 100 caps for the national side is that there is a lack of natural right-sided talent in the country, meaning that he is needed to provide that extra spark more often than not. Blackburn’s David Bentley is currently favourite to step up to the plate, impressing Signore Capello this season, but what of Messrs Pennant, Wright-Phillips, Lennon, and etc.?
Now plying his trade in the footballing hotbed that is America, he insists that he can play a pivotal role in the 2010 World Cup should England qualify. One can ask if a 34 year old right midfielder living on past glories and endorsements is needed in the grandest stage of the footballing world in two years time.
Oh by the way, England lost 1-0 to a Franck Ribery penalty. Celebrity overshadowing sport I daresay?
