David Beckham

[Hibbyradge]

Is anyone watching the programme on Sky right now about Beckham at Real Madrid?

What a player he was.

[FitbaFolkKen]

Is anyone watching the programme on Sky right now about Beckham at Real Madrid?

What a player he was.

What was it called? Might try and get it on catch up if you recommend watching it. Cheers


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[SRHibs]

If we had someone who could take a set piece like Beckham we’d be top of the league!

[Smartie]

It became fashionable for a while to criticise Beckham and say that he was pish.

I always thought he was class - outstanding set piece delivery and great fitness levels.

His attitude towards playing for his country was inspirational.

He's meant to be a very decent bloke as well.

[Hibbyradge]

What was it called? Might try and get it on catch up if you recommend watching it. Cheers


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It was a short programme right after the Irish football. I don't know what it was called, sorry.

[Peevemor]

I always rated him but for me he was like some musicians and singers that have astonishing technical ability but everything's a bit "wooden", ie. they lack the natural music/feeling that would make them truly great.

[lyonhibs]

It became fashionable for a while to criticise Beckham and say that he was pish.

I always thought he was class - outstanding set piece delivery and great fitness levels.

His attitude towards playing for his country was inspirational.

He's meant to be a very decent bloke as well.


I fell into that bracket initially. Grew out of it rapidly though.

One of perhaps the top 25 midfielders England has ever produced.

[hibby6270]

What was it called? Might try and get it on catch up if you recommend watching it. Cheers


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It’s one of those 15 minute filler programmes they have on Sky Sports Football. It’s called La Liga Icons.

The Beckham one is being shown again on Tuesday at 13:45.

[calumhibee1]

I always rated him but for me he was like some musicians and singers that have astonishing technical ability but everything's a bit "wooden", ie. they lack the natural music/feeling that would make them truly great.

Yup, agreed. Very good technically, hard worker but lacked the pace, agility or power to be world class IMO. Seems like a really good guy aswell.

[GreenCastle]

Wouldn't make it into my Top 1000 players of all time list.

Sorry - but the guy did very well for himself considering but someone like Scholes was a much better player.

Beckham did well winning titles wherever he went but also was surrounded by some fantastic players.

Nothing against him just another media hyped up player.

[Shrekko]

I fell into that bracket initially. Grew out of it rapidly though.

One of perhaps the top 25 midfielders England has ever produced.

I think that’s about right- maybe even top 10-15.

His image worked for and against him in terms of how highly he was rated. People in the USA thought he was supposed to be the worlds best player and probably the same in The Far East.

Folk who said he was anything less than excellent were wrong though.

[HibernianJK]

Wouldn't make it into my Top 1000 players of all time list.

Sorry - but the guy did very well for himself considering but someone like Scholes was a much better player.

Beckham did well winning titles wherever he went but also was surrounded by some fantastic players.

Nothing against him just another media hyped up player.

Id be very interested to see that list.

[lyonhibs]

[QUOTE=City of Green;5353624]Wouldn't make it into my Top 1000 players of all time list.

Sorry - but the guy did very well for himself considering but someone like Scholes was a much better player.

Beckham did well winning titles wherever he went but also was surrounded by some fantastic players.

Nothing against him just another media hyped up player.[/QUOTE

Of course Scholes, Zidane et al were better but not in your top one *thousand*?!?

Are you sure??

[GreenCastle]

[QUOTE=City of Green;5353624]Wouldn't make it into my Top 1000 players of all time list.

Sorry - but the guy did very well for himself considering but someone like Scholes was a much better player.

Beckham did well winning titles wherever he went but also was surrounded by some fantastic players.

Nothing against him just another media hyped up player.[/QUOTE

Of course Scholes, Zidane et al were better but not in your top one *thousand*?!?

Are you sure??

You know what I mean - for me he isn't a great.

There are many great players who didn't make as much money or win as many trophies / sell as many shirts etc.

Beckham is a household name and like Gary Neville did extremely well with the limited ability he had but there are many better players. Like I said massive credit to Beckham for the titles he won and what he did in the game but when I think of great players he doesn't come close to many others. :fishin:

People thinking Beckham is a great player are probably the ones who think Ronaldo is better than Messi :greengrin

Everyone is allowed an opinion :aok:

[MWHIBBIES]

I wish I had the limited ability of Beckham. World class at his best, extremely talented. Just took a different path career wise that will see him make money Scholes could only dream of.

[jacomo]

I wish I had the limited ability of Beckham. World class at his best, extremely talented. Just took a different path career wise that will see him make money Scholes could only dream of.


By any measure he had a fabulous career. Went to Real Madrid as a galactico and won his place in the team.

He might not be world class but he must surely be very close??

[TelaStella]

Wouldn't make it into my Top 1000 players of all time list.

Sorry - but the guy did very well for himself considering but someone like Scholes was a much better player.

Beckham did well winning titles wherever he went but also was surrounded by some fantastic players.

Nothing against him just another media hyped up player.

Wouldn't make your top 1000 seriously? [emoji23]


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[cocteautwin]

If we had someone who could take a set piece like Beckham we’d be top of the league!

Maybe all we need is to sign that dead ball specialist across the city, Malaury Martin? :greengrin

[SirDavidsNapper]

4th best player of that Man United era behind Scholes, Giggs and Keane for me

[Scouse Hibee]

If Beckham wasn't world class then the use of that description means nothing. Of course he was, fantastic player underrated by many.

[hibsbollah]

I've always agreed that he is underrated, probably because of his celebrity. He was right up there with the best in the world at free kicks and crossing from the right. Fantastically accurate.

[jakedance]

So someone with 115 England caps that has played for Man Utd, Real Madrid, Paris St Germain and AC Milan had limited ability and wasn’t world class? It’s possible to say he wasn’t the best player in the world while recognising that he very much earned the right to play at the very highest level.

[calumhibee1]

If Beckham wasn't world class then the use of that description means nothing. Of course he was, fantastic player underrated by many.

Probably depends on people’s definition of world class to be fair. I’ve seen people suggest the likes of Ozil,Kan te (seems to get blocked if you put it all together :greengrin), Mane etc are world class. If you’d class them as world class then Beckham probably would be aswell. Where as id say there’s only one or two world class players currently playing in England. To me, world class is Messi, Ronaldo, Suarez, Neymar etc, not the guys listed above, Beckham included.

[Pretty Boy]

Beckham was a victim of his own success, in football at any rate. He went from being appreciated to being massively underrated very quickly. It became fashionable for columnists to slate him, Aidan Smith had an almost pathological hatred of him, and some fans followed suit. I didn't really get why, maybe it made them feel clever to be different.

You don't win what Beckham did or play for the managers and clubs he did unless you are a very good player. The argument he was 'surrounded by good players' I often read is nonsense. A mediocre playee might get away with that for a season or 2 but Beckham played at top clubs for over a decade in teams full of top class players because he himself was a top class player who belonged in that environment.

[SirDavidsNapper]

Beckham was quality but i wouldn't put him in the same group as Zidane, Figo, Scholes, Ronaldinho etc of that era. He was probably in the group below. Very good player nonetheless

[ian cruise]

Beckham was a victim of his own success, in football at any rate. He went from being appreciated to being massively underrated very quickly. It became fashionable for columnists to slate him, Aidan Smith had an almost pathological hatred of him, and some fans followed suit. I didn't really get why, maybe it made them feel clever to be different.

You don't win what Beckham did or play for the managers and clubs he did unless you are a very good player. The argument he was 'surrounded by good players' I often read is nonsense. A mediocre playee might get away with that for a season or 2 but Beckham played at top clubs for over a decade in teams full of top class players because he himself was a top class player who belonged in that environment.

There's also an argument that if you're playing with top class players then rather than hide your lack of ability it becomes even more obvious you shouldn't be there.

Always did well in whatever team he was in, agree with those saying he's massively underrated.

[Stevie Reid]

Superb player, and a great by any possible measure - many league titles including in three of Europe's top leagues, 115 caps for his country. Only an injury away from appearing in four World Cups as well.

Actually had a considerable impact on the game as well - I don't recall seeing free kicks taken in the way he often did, before he came along.

[Hibbyradge]

[QUOTE=lyonhibs;5353629]

You know what I mean - for me he isn't a great.

There are many great players who didn't make as much money or win as many trophies / sell as many shirts etc.

Beckham is a household name and like Gary Neville did extremely well with the limited ability he had but there are many better players. Like I said massive credit to Beckham for the titles he won and what he did in the game but when I think of great players he doesn't come close to many others. :fishin:

People thinking Beckham is a great player are probably the ones who think Ronaldo is better than Messi :greengrin

Everyone is allowed an opinion :aok:

I don't know how much you saw of him playing for Real Madrid, but you should watch that programme when it comes on again on Tuesday.

His passing was magnificent and his free kick ability must be amongst the best in the world ever.

Messi is better than Ronaldo. Different, but better.

[Hibbyradge]

Beckham was quality but i wouldn't put him in the same group as Zidane, Figo, Scholes, Ronaldinho etc of that era. He was probably in the group below. Very good player nonetheless

It's interesting that you say he doesn't belong in the same group as Zidane, Figo and Scholes because that's exactly the group he was included with all throughout his career.

[The Modfather]

Beckham was a good player who got the absolute most out of his talent. Which is admirable given how we can relate closer to home with some our our youngsters and wonder what might have been.

He had an excellent career, but I'm not always convinced it was solely down to his footballing ability. The "brand Beckham" and his ability to sell strips was a big factor in the likes of Real Madrid signing him. He only won 1 title and 1 charity shield in 4 years at Madrid which is a barren spell by their standards.

I thought he was a good player, but his reputation far outweighed his actual talent as he was as much a celebrity as he was a footballer.

[Just Jimmy]

Probably depends on people’s definition of world class to be fair. I’ve seen people suggest the likes of Ozil,Kan te (seems to get blocked if you put it all together :greengrin), Mane etc are world class. If you’d class them as world class then Beckham probably would be aswell. Where as id say there’s only one or two world class players currently playing in England. To me, world class is Messi, Ronaldo, Suarez, Neymar etc, not the guys listed above, Beckham included.There's "one or two" playing for most of the top 6-8 clubs in England. Never mind the league.

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[calumhibee1]

It's interesting that you say he doesn't belong in the same group as Zidane, Figo and Scholes because that's exactly the group he was included with all throughout his career.

I wouldn’t say he was ever included in that group. At the time nobody would have said Beckham was better or even as good as Zidane, Figo, Ronaldinho etc. A bit like how James Milner has played with Aguero, Salah, David Silva etc throughout his career but you would never claim he was that level of player or put him in the same bracket as them just because he played beside them.

[calumhibee1]

There's "one or two" playing for most of the top 6-8 clubs in England. Never mind the league.

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Na, not for me. If that’s the case then there’s probably around 40 world class footballers. Kind of dilutes the term world class IMO.

[Hibbyradge]

Beckham was a good player who got the absolute most out of his talent. Which is admirable given how we can relate closer to home with some our our youngsters and wonder what might have been.

He had an excellent career, but I'm not always convinced it was solely down to his footballing ability. The "brand Beckham" and his ability to sell strips was a big factor in the likes of Real Madrid signing him.

Selling strips to pay for salaries and transfer fees is a myth. It's impossible.

Clubs receive about £5 per shirt and that's only after so many have been sold.

e.g. Man U have a £750m deal with Adidas, regardless of who they sign.

I also don't think that a huge club like Real Madrid would need to sign a player for mainly commercial reasons.

LA Galaxy and MLS will have benefited from his signing, however, as it will have raised the profile of the club and the sport in the US.

[Stevie Reid]

Selling strips to pay for salaries and transfer fees is a myth. It's impossible.

Clubs receive about £5 per shirt and that's only after so many have been sold.

e.g. Man U have a £750m deal with Adidas, regardless of who they sign.

I also don't think that a huge club like Real Madrid would need to sign a player for mainly commercial reasons.

LA Galaxy and MLS will have benefited from his signing, however, as it will have raised the profile of the club and the sport in the US.

Spot on.

If Beckham had the career that he's had but looked like Paul Scholes (who I also firmly believe is an all time great) and didn't marry a Spice Girl, I think there would be much less debate.

[Just Jimmy]

Na, not for me. If that’s the case then there’s probably around 40 world class footballers. Kind of dilutes the term world class IMO.If you want a world 11 or even a world 22 etc then that is a different argument, however there is plenty chance you could pick 11 then sub in and out some players and not make much difference really.

When you watch the world cup this summer, most of the top players will be playing in the English Premier League.

Your argument isn't about ability its about what constitutes this mythological term "world class".

City have about 5 or 6 alone. Aguero, Silva, De Bryne, Sane and Kompany.
Man United have the best goalkeeper in the world and you could lay arguments for other players.
Hazard at Chelsea.
Kane at Spurs in the best centre forward in the world right now. You could argue others but it's unquestionable that he's world class. You could even argue that Erikson is up There, he is absolutely outstanding

I haven't even included Salah as I do think he needs another season such as this to prove it's not a flash in the pan.

I don't get the argument that player x isn't world class because player y is. Ronaldo and Messi are both up there with the best ever. Who cares which one is better? There's also a bitterness about the English leagues because of the money involved. Just as I think a lot of the time it's over rated, I also fully admit that some of the players are up there with the absolute best in the world.

There's certainly more than 1 or 2 of the latter.

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[Sioux]

So, is it now a hibs.net fact that unless a player is as good or better than Messi and Ronaldo, he isn't world class?

[Just Jimmy]

So, is it now a hibs.net fact that unless a player is as good or better than Messi and Ronaldo, he isn't world class?Who's said that?

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[Hibbyradge]

If you want a world 11 or even a world 22 etc then that is a different argument, however there is plenty chance you could pick 11 then sub in and out some players and not make much difference really.

When you watch the world cup this summer, most of the top players will be playing in the English Premier League.

Your argument isn't about ability its about what constitutes this mythological term "world class".

City have about 5 or 6 alone. Aguero, Silva, De Bryne, Sane and Kompany.
Man United have the best goalkeeper in the world and you could lay arguments for other players.
Hazard at Chelsea.
Kane at Spurs in the best centre forward in the world right now. You could argue others but it's unquestionable that he's world class. You could even argue that Erikson is up There, he is absolutely outstanding

I haven't even included Salah as I do think he needs another season such as this to prove it's not a flash in the pan.

I don't get the argument that player x isn't world class because player y is. Ronaldo and Messi are both up there with the best ever. Who cares which one is better? There's also a bitterness about the English leagues because of the money involved. Just as I think a lot of the time it's over rated, I also fully admit that some of the players are up there with the absolute best in the world.

There's certainly more than 1 or 2 of the latter.

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I concur.

[calumhibee1]

If you want a world 11 or even a world 22 etc then that is a different argument, however there is plenty chance you could pick 11 then sub in and out some players and not make much difference really.

When you watch the world cup this summer, most of the top players will be playing in the English Premier League.

Your argument isn't about ability its about what constitutes this mythological term "world class".

City have about 5 or 6 alone. Aguero, Silva, De Bryne, Sane and Kompany.
Man United have the best goalkeeper in the world and you could lay arguments for other players.
Hazard at Chelsea.
Kane at Spurs in the best centre forward in the world right now. You could argue others but it's unquestionable that he's world class. You could even argue that Erikson is up There, he is absolutely outstanding

I haven't even included Salah as I do think he needs another season such as this to prove it's not a flash in the pan.

I don't get the argument that player x isn't world class because player y is. Ronaldo and Messi are both up there with the best ever. Who cares which one is better? There's also a bitterness about the English leagues because of the money involved. Just as I think a lot of the time it's over rated, I also fully admit that some of the players are up there with the absolute best in the world.

There's certainly more than 1 or 2 of the latter.

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The bit about most of the top players playing in the EPL again isn’t something I agree with. When I watch the World Cup the players I’ll be looking out for are Messi, Ronaldo, Suarez, Cavani, Neymar, Aguero, De Bruyne, Lewandowski, Ramos, Pique, Alba, Dani Alves, not Hazard, Sane, K ante, Lukaku and Kompany. There’s a gulf between these players and the majority of the best players in the EPL which means they’re not world class, not to me anyway.

Back on the topic of Beckham though, I’ve already acknowledged he was a very good player. But to me he didn’t have the power or pace to be in the level of the world class players of his time like Zidane, Ronaldinho, Henry, Ronaldo etc. If he did, along with the work rate he possessed and technical ability, he probably would have been world class, but it was something that was missing from his game to take him to that level IMO.

[Monts]

So, is it now a hibs.net fact that unless a player is as good or better than Messi and Ronaldo, he isn't world class?

No

[The Modfather]

Selling strips to pay for salaries and transfer fees is a myth. It's impossible.

Clubs receive about £5 per shirt and that's only after so many have been sold.

e.g. Man U have a £750m deal with Adidas, regardless of who they sign.

I also don't think that a huge club like Real Madrid would need to sign a player for mainly commercial reasons.

LA Galaxy and MLS will have benefited from his signing, however, as it will have raised the profile of the club and the sport in the US.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/from-beckham-to-ronaldo-madrid-president-perez-admits/sui5tl294hai1lddovoiqij6s

Here's the Real Madrid chairman at the time:

“People understand the obvious – that we sign big players like Ronaldo, [Zinedine] Zidane and [Luis] Figo. But after the players there is the economic sports equation"

“In our model it is fundamental to understand that in the signing of every player, we have to have in our heads: what's the income generated?”

[Hibbyradge]

http://www.goal.com/en/news/from-beckham-to-ronaldo-madrid-president-perez-admits/sui5tl294hai1lddovoiqij6s

Here's the Real Madrid chairman at the time:

“People understand the obvious – that we sign big players like Ronaldo, [Zinedine] Zidane and [Luis] Figo. But after the players there is the economic sports equation"

“In our model it is fundamental to understand that in the signing of every player, we have to have in our heads: what's the income generated?”

Interesting, right enough. Thanks for that.

Here's another take on it.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/the-set-pieces-blog/2016/aug/24/transfer-window-market-myths

[fulshie]

Most of the quotes on this thread rate him with a few saying he was average. personally I think he was a good player, not world class as that's a statement over used IMO. It would be interesting to see if genuine England international supporters would put him into a greatest ever 11 for England.

[Smartie]

I also think it would be interesting to know what the players he played with thought of him.

Pretty boy who stole a living based on his looks?

Would Gary Neville have the medal collection he did without the graft Beckham put in tracking back and helping out his fullback?

Would the Man Utd strikers have got as many goals without the deliveries he put in from out wide?

Of all the players in the world, who would the Man Utd players have wanted to be whipping in the corners in the final few minutes of the 1999 Champions League final?


https://youtu.be/RXP2McWiR4U


I heard that he actually got on very well with the "galacticos", and in particular the South American players when at Real Madrid. He got a bit more trouble from the established Spanish clique that existed within that dressing room.

[pollution]

As England captain he cowardly jumped a tackle against Brazil in the South Korea World Cup

which led directly to Rivaldo's great goal.

That summed him up to me. A good player when it didn't hurt.

[poolman]

It became fashionable for a while to criticise Beckham and say that he was pish.

I always thought he was class - outstanding set piece delivery and great fitness levels.

His attitude towards playing for his country was inspirational.

He's meant to be a very decent bloke as well.


That's my take on the guy as well

Didn't understand some of the stuff against him

And a class footballer

[CockneyRebel]

Most of the quotes on this thread rate him with a few saying he was average. personally I think he was a good player, not world class as that's a statement over used IMO. It would be interesting to see if genuine England international supporters would put him into a greatest ever 11 for England.

He might not make the first 11 depending on the manager but he would without a shadow of a doubt make the the squad via supporters opinion. He got sent off in a world cup match in his younger days. He was blamed for England losing the match and was cast into the wilderness. He won his way back into favour with supporters and pundits alike through dedication, enthusiasm and performance and was rightly capped again and again. He wasn't the messiah but in a few games he carried a lack lustre England team to victory. "World class" is an individual viewpoint approached from many different angles so I won't labour that one but pretty much every team he played for was better for him being in it. Clubs like publicity and merchandising but they are surely not blinded to the fact that every signing should be good enough to make the starting eleven.

I willl leave it there as I think his CV tells his story better than I can.

[Sir David Gray]

Wouldn't make it into my Top 1000 players of all time list.

Sorry - but the guy did very well for himself considering but someone like Scholes was a much better player.

Beckham did well winning titles wherever he went but also was surrounded by some fantastic players.

Nothing against him just another media hyped up player.

:faf: I would genuinely like to see who the other 1000 players are that were better than David Beckham.

For free kicks alone he deserves his place amongst the world's best.

The Manchester Utd midfield of David Beckham, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs was one of the best midfields of all time.

[calumhibee1]

:faf: I would genuinely like to see who the other 1000 players are that were better than David Beckham.

For free kicks alone he deserves his place amongst the world's best.

The Manchester Utd midfield of David Beckham, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs was one of the best midfields of all time.

A close second to McGinn, McGeough and Allan :greengrin

[Sir David Gray]

A close second to McGinn, McGeough and Allan :greengrin

I thought that went without saying. :greengrin

[Stevie Reid]

As England captain he cowardly jumped a tackle against Brazil in the South Korea World Cup

which led directly to Rivaldo's great goal.

That summed him up to me. A good player when it didn't hurt.

Looked at the incident that you are referring to and it's an interesting interpretation - not least because Paul Scholes subsequently lost possession cheaply - and not to mention the fact that Ronaldinho then ran from his own half, before playing Rivaldo in.

Doesn't sum up Beckham at all - and given the abuse he faced in his career, not least after the 1998 World Cup when he was only 23, I don't really think his bravery or character is in question.

[JimBHibees]

If you want a world 11 or even a world 22 etc then that is a different argument, however there is plenty chance you could pick 11 then sub in and out some players and not make much difference really.

When you watch the world cup this summer, most of the top players will be playing in the English Premier League.

Your argument isn't about ability its about what constitutes this mythological term "world class".

City have about 5 or 6 alone. Aguero, Silva, De Bryne, Sane and Kompany.
Man United have the best goalkeeper in the world and you could lay arguments for other players.
Hazard at Chelsea.
Kane at Spurs in the best centre forward in the world right now. You could argue others but it's unquestionable that he's world class. You could even argue that Erikson is up There, he is absolutely outstanding

I haven't even included Salah as I do think he needs another season such as this to prove it's not a flash in the pan.

I don't get the argument that player x isn't world class because player y is. Ronaldo and Messi are both up there with the best ever. Who cares which one is better? There's also a bitterness about the English leagues because of the money involved. Just as I think a lot of the time it's over rated, I also fully admit that some of the players are up there with the absolute best in the world.

There's certainly more than 1 or 2 of the latter.

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Not usually the case that. The last world cup not sure any of the top performers played in England.

[Hibbyradge]

As England captain he cowardly jumped a tackle against Brazil in the South Korea World Cup

which led directly to Rivaldo's great goal.

That summed him up to me. A good player when it didn't hurt.

You're judging a player's career on one incident?

How many tackles has Christiano Ronaldo made in his career?

[stoneyburn hibs]

Not as good as the likes of Messi or Ronaldo but still a great player.
Could be the wrong opposition, sure it was a qualifier at Wembley against Greece and they were either down one or drawing.
Beckham was immense in dragging them back into it.

[Barman Stanton]

Beckham was a great player, and I have no doubt he was World Class. Surely if you get bought by several of the best and biggest teams in the world you are world class.

[calumhibee1]

Beckham was a great player, and I have no doubt he was World Class. Surely if you get bought by several of the best and biggest teams in the world you are world class.

I give you Lassana Diarra. It’s not always an indication of you being world class.

[JimBHibees]

Not as good as the likes of Messi or Ronaldo but still a great player.
Could be the wrong opposition, sure it was a qualifier at Wembley against Greece and they were either down one or drawing.
Beckham was immense in dragging them back into it.

Game against Greece at Old Trafford, he dragged them back into the game and eventually scored one of his trademark free kicks though the ref gave him a few tries to get it right. Think he is a guy who got the best out of himself and while many of the teams may have seen some commercial benefit in him playing for them there is no doubt he was a very good footballer.

[Keith_M]

"He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't score many goals"

"Apart from that, he's alright"



George Best's opinion of David Beckham.

Who am I to argue.

[JimBHibees]

"He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't score many goals"

"Apart from that, he's alright"



George Best's opinion of David Beckham.

Who am I to argue.

:not worth:faf:

[Barman Stanton]

I give you Lassana Diarra. It’s not always an indication of you being world class.

Different attributes needed though. Diarra was a defensive midfielder, you can probably play for a top team without being technically world class in that role. Did you watch Beckham play much? The corners? The free kicks? 265 games for Man Utd, 115 England caps!

Can't believe I'm actually sticking up for Beckham but to me it's bonkers not to think he was World Class.

[Lancs Harp]

Game against Greece at Old Trafford, he dragged them back into the game and eventually scored one of his trademark free kicks though the ref gave him a few tries to get it right. Think he is a guy who got the best out of himself and while many of the teams may have seen some commercial benefit in him playing for them there is no doubt he was a very good footballer.

I was at that game, in fact it was my last England game, Beckham played on his own that day, he was immense on what was otherwise a pretty moderate England display.

[21.05.2016]

Beckham was a good player who got the absolute most out of his talent. Which is admirable given how we can relate closer to home with some our our youngsters and wonder what might have been.

He had an excellent career, but I'm not always convinced it was solely down to his footballing ability. The "brand Beckham" and his ability to sell strips was a big factor in the likes of Real Madrid signing him. He only won 1 title and 1 charity shield in 4 years at Madrid which is a barren spell by their standards.

I thought he was a good player, but his reputation far outweighed his actual talent as he was as much a celebrity as he was a footballer.

I agree. Very very good player but as you say "brand Beckham" probably increased his profile more than the football.

[Scouse Hibee]

English football star David Beckham has told the BBC that he was not insulted by his exclusion from Sir Alex Ferguson's list of four world-class Manchester United players - and he agreed.

Sir Alex said earlier this week that he only worked with four "world-class players" as boss of Manchester United - Paul Scholes, Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs.

Asked if he was offended, Beckham said he agreed with Sir Alex, whom he called "the greatest manager of all time".

Now a Unicef ambassador, he spoke to the BBC's Laura Trevelyan at the United Nations in New York.

[jacomo]

Interesting, right enough. Thanks for that.

Here's another take on it.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/the-set-pieces-blog/2016/aug/24/transfer-window-market-myths


By the by, this article ties itself in knots trying to prove that clubs do not earn much money from player shirt sales.

It ignores the fact that the size of the clubs deal with their shirt supplier depends at least in part on the marketability of their squad.

[Hibbyradge]

By the by, this article ties itself in knots trying to prove that clubs do not earn much money from player shirt sales.

It ignores the fact that the size of the clubs deal with their shirt supplier depends at least in part on the marketability of their squad.

True, but Man U and Real Madrid are unbelievably marketable with or without marquee signings.

If Beckham had been so important commercially, surely Man U wouldn't have sold him.

As far as shirt sales are concerned, I have never met, or heard of, anyone who has bought a football top because a particular player had signed for a team.

The folk who have Pogba or Neymar on the back of their shirts, already support those clubs and would have bought a shirt anyway.

[Bishop Hibee]

I saw Beckham in the flesh playing on the right for England at Hampden. Outstanding technique and great work rate. Right foot was a wand. He made 100% of the talent he had which many players don’t.

[Centre Hawf]

World Class players definitions will never be agreed upon. But what I can say is David Beckhams technique of striking a ball is absolutely legendary. Cross, free kick, shot, pass. It was always on point and he got it that way by hard graft. Honing what was a decent skill into one that could be described as world class.

That to me is why he earned my respect. He wasn’t quick, he wasn’t a skilful tricky player, but he worked immensely hard at being as good as he ended up being. Ultimately that was deemed good enough to play for Man Utd, Real Madrid, AC Milan, PSG, and of course to captain England. Not bad at all.

[Just Jimmy]

English football star David Beckham has told the BBC that he was not insulted by his exclusion from Sir Alex Ferguson's list of four world-class Manchester United players - and he agreed.

Sir Alex said earlier this week that he only worked with four "world-class players" as boss of Manchester United - Paul Scholes, Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs.

Asked if he was offended, Beckham said he agreed with Sir Alex, whom he called "the greatest manager of all time".

Now a Unicef ambassador, he spoke to the BBC's Laura Trevelyan at the United Nations in New York.Tbf on red cafe they are rubbishing that claim. Schmeichal plus others were clearly world class during their time at United.

Beckham was a top player.

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[Sauzee16]

Beckham was a magnificent footballer with a wand of a foot and would get in any side at his peak: not Figo Zizou Scholes world class but just as good as anyone like Gerrard Below

[Sauzee16]

Tbf on red cafe they are rubbishing that claim. Schmeichal plus others were clearly world class during their time at United.

Beckham was a top player.

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Goram was better than Schmeichal

[Mixu62]

Used to have a similar debate to this with a workmate who "supported" Chelsea. Given X million pounds as Hibs boss, and told to buy either Beckham or Michael Owen at the time, I said I'd have taken Owen, simply cos he carried a constant goal threat. He had pace, trickery as well as vision to pick out a pass. Beckham was a very good player, but media hyped beyond his abilities.

[Clarence]

Tbf on red cafe they are rubbishing that claim. Schmeichal plus others were clearly world class during their time at United.

Beckham was a top player.

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David Beckham was a top top player.

[Just Jimmy]

Goram was better than SchmeichalMaybe so. However that wasn't the point.

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[Barman Stanton]

Goram was better than Schmeichal

As great as Goram was he was not better than Peter Schmeichel. Shmeichel is possibly in my 10 greatest keepers of all time.

[Scouse Hibee]

Goram was better than Schmeichal

At what? Not goal keeping that's for sure.

[JimBHibees]

At what? Not goal keeping that's for sure.

Cricket :dunno: :greengrin

[Shrekko]

Goram was better than Schmeichal

The dug on Corrie?

[Sir David Gray]

Goram was better than Schmeichal

:faf: