Sometimes in life we have the luxury of being able to say something, criticize people or change our views on things without anyone being able to point out the fact that we’ve changed our opinion of views.
Sometimes we don’t even realise we’re going against our beliefs until we’ve carried out the act. Though unfortunately for professional footballers, every comment made is recorded, noted down and stored in the archive for future reference.
And with this, I present you a quote from Landon Donovan, star of American Soccer and committed professional to his beloved Major League Soccer.
Landon Donovan Quote – July 2009
“My sense is that David is clearly frustrated, that he’s unhappy and, honestly, that he thinks it’s a joke. I also kind of feel that he’s taking the team for granted. I don’t see dedication or commitment to this team, and that’s troubling”.
Donovan made these comments when asked about David Beckham’s likely loan move to AC Milan during the MLS’s season break. The 27-year-old clearly had strong views that Beckham should stay in America for the close season and not keep up his fitness for the World Cup. Going to Italy to play for three months just didn’t show enough commitment to Donovan and his fellow team-mates.
That number nine for Everton looks familiar?
Hold on a minute, it’s Landon Donovan. Playing in England? On loan to another club? So now let’s have Beckham’s perspective. The World Cup is approaching and in fear of not being match fit you decide it’s best to take a loan move to a club in Europe, who play at a higher standard, in order to be a justified selection for your country. If you were Landon Donovan’s team mate he would label you ‘un-loyal’ if you were even considering such an un-godly act of footballing nature.
Yet after claiming David Beckham was not commited to L.A Galaxy, Donovan was soon putting finishing touches to his proposed move to the Premier League to
join Everton. Now I’m really confused. Perhaps now we can see the true message behind Donovan’s quote back in July of last year.Sour grapes or regretful past
Lets not be too harsh on poor Landon, because as we’ve seen for Everton so far in the F.A Premier League, he’s quite a player. Imagine being the golden boy of your club and nation, the country at your feet and women falling all over themselves for you.
Then David Beckham arrives. He takes your captaincy, starts being handed all the corner duties that
YOU used to have and to make matters worse he makes your pay package seem as good as getting a bag of peanuts for wages. Lets be honest, your going to feel a bit of remorse towards him.Perhaps Donovan came out with those comments, because after training and playing with Beckham, he couldn’t think how the Englishman was any better than him. After all, Donovan can also strike a sweet ball, convert penalty’s and what’s more, he even has a bit of pace and eye for a trick or two.
In that period of two years,
Donovan may have realised that he should have made the move to England so much sooner, testing himself on a level which is a more worthy suitor for his talent. And so, after a previous unsuccessful loan spell in Germany, he decided to give England a go. After all if lousy, un-motivated and lazy Beckham was able to do it, so could he. Beckham never really outshone him in an MLS game anyway, did he?Changes in Loyalty
Instead of staying in the States with L.A Galaxy, Donovan is doing exactly the same thing he criticized Beckham for doing seven months ago. What comeback can you have to that? OK, so he might be doing American football a favour in general circumstances, for coming to England and being at the top of his game ready to lead his country to World Cup success, but then if he was truly committed to L.A Galaxy (as he likes to portray at Beckham’s digression) perhaps he should give the World Cup a miss altogether. That way he could fire the Galaxy to trophy success like he did in his previous time there before Beckham arrived.
Better late than never
Donovan looks to have fitted in well to the Premier League and has put in some eye catching performances for the Toffees scoring his first goal for them recently against Sunderland. It’s a shame that he didn’t come to England sooner and there’s no doubt he would have enjoyed the same success as fellow Americans such as Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller, Clint Dempsey and err John Harkes.
Let’s just hope that through him now showing a little bit of ambition, he can realise why going out on loan during a season break isn’t exactly a sin.
Difference in Class
Beckham, unlike Donovan, has been part of some very talented teams with Manchester United, Real Madrid and England. The fact of the matter is that in highly successful enviroments such as these clubs, they have something called team ethic.
Never do you hear players come out and
critisize fellow team mates at United. Of course that’s not to mean there aren’t disagreements, of course there are, but they’re sorted out in the privacy of the changing room walls. People don’t get the opportunity to have a look in and see the cracks, and so sometimes, it appears there are none.But Donovan came out and gave everybody what they wanted, not realising that he himself was the one who was really displaying un-professional behaviour and disrespect to this team-mates. And so by him coming out in the media to make his point, means we can now bring the point back to Donovan and question where is his dedication and commitment to L.A Galaxy? It’s in England. Did I hear the word hypocrite anyone?
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Topics: David Beckham, English Premier League, Everton, Features, LA Galaxy, MLS
bla bla bla get over it
Donovan’s ire was directed towards the lack of commitment Beckham showed on the field and in the locker room. I see little, if any, hypocrisy on his part.
I agree. Can’t say any more than that. He let down his team mates by having a go at beckham. To be fair he has apologized. But too little too late. As far as out shining beckham, well honestly he is a fair player but could he get into manutd or real madrids team? I think not.
WOW Mr. Hill, this is a very good article and opinion! Totally agree with you!
To Landon..next time, THINK before you talk! And please..understand the meaning of PROFESSIONAL first before you even called yourself as one!
We know that Landon speaks with forked tongue. We also know that he starts fast in his new team and then fades quickly. He is an american afterthought.
Donovan’s comment wasn’t about Beckham playing with AC Milan during the off season it was about Beckham choosing to extend his loan past the start of his own team’s season and missing fully half of the Galaxy’s season.
Beckham was still in Italy in July when the Galaxy’s season started in March. Donovan’s loan ends two weeks prior to the start of the Galaxy’s season. He will be back in time for his club’s opening match. Beckham will once again miss half of his club’s season.
There is no hypocrisy unless Donovan’s loan gets extended such that he is still at Everton while the Galaxy are playing league games. There is talk of that but as yet it has not happened. At a minimum your article is premature, currently it is baseless.
Right on, Max!
To the unprofessional scribe of this diatribe. Donovan made the comment at the end of the MLS season in 2008, not July 2009, when the book was making the rounds. Thus, the basis of your argument, Beckham needing to stay fit for the World Cup, is false, thus rendering your entire article null and void.
Agree 100% with what Max said. I will also point out, which you have clearly missed (the second time in a week that I have found one of your articles on google news and found aspects to critique) that Landon Donovan has issued a full and frank apology to David Beckham, about 4 weeks ago and accepted by Beckham, does writing about football require you to read about it? I understand that you dont need to be a qualified journalist to write for soccer lens, but you would be ripped to shreds if trying to pass this for a more prestigious and respected publication. Not least because this story was covered by every British newspaper and soccer journal about 3 or 4 weeks ago, this is ancient news now, almost prehistoric.
Don’t forget Brian McBride!
I agree with the writer 100 percent, and know for a fact he will be fading soon. Cant wait for the Yank to go back to his country.
Thanks for the read, enjoyed it a lot
Alex has a point with regard to LD mouthing off about his displeasure with Becks. It was unprofessional and LD has apologized.
The rest of the opinion piece is factually incorrect. I’m not going to spend two hours dragging all of the evidence out but here is a link to one article that sums up the situation pretty well in July, 2009:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/davidbeckham/5718766/David-Beckham-not-welcome-at-LA-Galaxy-says-Landon-Donovan.html
What Donovan and the rest of the MLS supporters–like myself–found disingenuous was Beckhams claim when he arrived that he was here for several years. He played sparringly at the end of 2007 due to injury. 2008 was a disaster with LA placing second from bottom in the league. Becks is then loaned to Milan and doesn’t want to come back (I wouldn’t either–but who’s the “professional”?).
Basically he played one full year and decided he only wanted to play for teams that were guaranteed to win something (MUFC, Madrid, Milan). THAT’S what many of us had a problem with.
Here’s the difference:
Beckham promised to come to America, invest of himself for 5 years, be the Ambassador for the league, help attract other marquee players, etc. MLS paid him $250m for this – essentially betting the league’s future. It wasn’t simply a transfer to a club that maybe it works out, maybe things change. Also, all American soccer fans who have been rooting and paying for the development of the game here were so excited about Beckham that they were gutted (to use the England term) that he left. Most of the ire comes simply from dissapointment after high hopes. The way in which Becks departed left the impression that he was taking MLS for fools, which maybe they are, however this added to the sting. He bashed the league in the press. To add insult to injury, he never tried very hard here usually limping around the pitch. Maybe it is unfair, but this explains the fans anger. Donovan was simply channeling this and giving voice to what was in all fans’ hearts.
Donovan has no such debts to pay. He has given everything to MLS and helped to build it. That’s why most fans here are actually rooting for him to remain at Goodison.
From the superficial level, yes this appears to be hypocritical and maybe it is a little. However the two situations are worlds apart.
I can’t take this article seriously after Donovan was Everton’s best offensive option for a good 80 minutes today. Everyone else disappeared more often than Landon did today.
As for the Beckham incident, Beckham made it clear he did not want to return, while Donovan said he’d be open for a move if it happened. For all of Beckham’s handlers, I’m surprised he couldn’t get that right. And as for the unprofessional behavior on Beck’s part, why the hell do you think he was shipped out?
This article doesn’t take into account the circumstances that surrounded that quote. Even if you’re not a journalist, do try to demonstrate a bit of journalistic integrity in your articles.
Making the loan move to Everton right after renegotiating his contract was a good chioce on his part in case the MLS players union strikes at the beginning of next season, which is entirely possible. It gave him an avenue of escape to ensure he can continue getting playing time and training before the World Cup.
And don’t belittle MLS by insinuating that its quality is dramatically inferior. When AC Milan and Barca came through for friendlies in the summer, LA Galaxy gave them a run for their money, even if it was against a group of mixed first team and reserve players. There is a gulf in class, but its not as large as people assume, especially considering that MLS teams work under a US$2.1 million salary cap.
Bad grammar is…bad?
Aw gees get over it “Alex Hill” The man is doing well in the EPL. Personally I’m glad he is over there, he needs the experience. Hypocrite? Maybe maybe not, who really cares. I think the hypocrites are all the Landy Cake haters, first they bitch about how the man doesn’t do well in foreingn leagues and now they say he’s a hypocrite. Guess what the sun will rise tomorrow.
my .02
Landon was talking about Beckham’s on the field commitment during the MLS season and his several long trips to play in England internationals. That comment was not about the loan to AC Milan. Get you facts straight before you write.
I guess if you look only at the statement it might seem hypocritical. The problem is that Beckham clearly wasn’t committed to the team. He demonstrated his lack of interest by his play and attitude on the field and off.
No one has questioned Donovan’s competitive commitment to his team. The guy carried the Galaxy on his back for the last few years. Players move in their career – but, as a fan, Beckham’s loan arrangement, followed by an attempt to extend the loan or even transfer to AC Milan, just seemed like sour grapes.
Words matter, but actions matter more. Donovan is not a hypocrite.
And of course… Tom Howard and Guzan to a lesser degree
Donovan never said he was done with European Football and wanted to be the face of U.S. Soccer. Beckham did. Donovan was right to criticize Beckham, though he should have told him to his face. Galaxy fans not on had the right to boo Beckham, but the obligation.
mate, seriously, get over it! A big deal over nothing!
I would not have objected to LDs remarks if they were just regarding David Beckham’s committment to LA galaxy,but in actual fact he then started to get more personal,accusing Becks of being mean because he did not buy drinks for the rest of the team.I donn’t think that this was something that Becks could win on because if he had bought the drinks then LD would probably have accused him of being a show off and a big time charlie.
Crazy Mike, if your such a pro..why don’t you get writing? The sad life you do lead.
A very worthy piece by Alex actually. And of course, it’s all down to personal opinion. The facts are right. He used a quote and disected the commitment part.
The quote said by Donovan made out Beckham to be un-commited to the Galaxy. Alex just based his article on that and came up with some very good points
Donovan isn’t at Everton to ensure he gets picked for the World Cup; he’s an automatic pick already. He’s there to increase his fitness before the summer. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t want to play in the US. I would want to play in the Premier League, and he should make a permanent switch during the European transfer window.
You don’t know what you are talking about. Donovan’s criticism concerning Beckham had to do with his attitude in the locker room and on the field in 2008, not his loan. He did mention the loan as further illustrating the point, but the major difference is that Beckham was missing actual Galaxy games – half the 2009 season in fact. Donovan has yet to miss a game for the Galaxy due to loan spells. He’s never criticized Beckham for his desire to play for England.
Those are the facts. I notice that not only does your analysis contain very few facts, you read a whole lot of speculation concerning Donovan’s motives based on nothing more than your own imagination.
Clueless hack.
Uhm your missing one key fact here. Landon played for Bayern Munich last year during the MLS off season. So why would he criticize David Beckham for doing the same thing he did at the same time he did it. He criticized him for staying in Europe until July, not for going in the first place. What is everyone’s issue with Landon Donovan?
This is ridiculous. Donovan made those comments about Beckham because he was openly voicing his hopes to move to AC during the Galaxy season and was trying to get out of his contract with LA! The comparison to Donovan playing for Everton has no merit whatsoever.