Making Sense Of The Beckham-Milan-Galaxy Arrangement
Milan and Galaxy will share Beckham
So…David Beckham will be playing for Milan this season as they stumble towards the finish line hoping that the front two will stumble even more. At this point Milan have more to worry about from the chasing pack with Fiorentina, Genoa and Roma a few points behind with 12 games in hand (Serie A league table). Beckham could be pivotal to Milan’s bid for Champions League football next season, or at least he’ll be pivotal in making up for the lost revenue from Milan’s absence from Champions League football.
He’ll be back in Los Angeles mid summer (after playing in England’s World Cup Qualifiers – assuming he’s picked) and stay there till the end of the MLS season before returning to Milan in November. And if that’s not enough to spin your head, he’ll complete the season with Milan, possibly go to South Africa for the World Cup and return to the Galaxy afterwards.
Pundits (people who *think* they know something because they thought of it in bed the night before) reckon that Beckham will buy out his contract in November at the end of the MLS season and make his move to Milan permanent. Or he’ll buy out the contract at the end of July 10 post-World Cup.
I’m not so sure of that. For starters it’s difficult to see the MLS agreeing to this if they didn’t believe that he wouldn’t go back to the Galaxy post-2010. Beckham in 2010 will be 35, and I don’t care what you say about the Milan lab, he’s not going to be a preferred starter at Milan. On the other hand, at that age with his technical abilities he’d still be a valuable star for the Galaxy.
Look at it this way – he’s won the Champions League with Manchester United, he’s won league titles in Spain and England, and the only feather missing from his cap is success on the international stage. He’s probably not going to win the league with Milan unless they pull off an absolute blinder next season, so the major reason for Beckham to push for playing in Milan (with reports of him taking a pay-cut) is to stay in contention for the World Cup. For a player who had, in his mind, given up on international football under McClaren, this is his one last chance to make his mark on the grand stage.
Beckham’s arrival in the US was greeted with unprecedented hype, but beneath all that was a set of promises made by Beckham to LA Galaxy, to the MLS and to US football. This was a 5-year project to take US football to the next level using the fantastic global brand that is DB. It has been met with a lot of criticism, some of it deserved, but there are still time plenty of time to go, and he’ll have 2 years left on his contract after the World Cup ends.
Will Beckham abandon the US? The consensus seems to be that he’s already done so, and they may well be right. but the reality is that by the end of South Africa 2010 Beckham will be too old to be an effective force in European football. He could retire, or he could go back to the Galaxy as he’s said he would and complete the job he started to do.
Which will it be?
The move to AC Milan was only for Becks to get “match fit” for the WC qualifiers and possibly at another run WC Finals in Africa. He is past his peak, but still has not show the type of performance he had when he left Real Madrid. What else can he do, retire and be an ambassador of futbol?
I think he’ll retire after the World Cup. As a Milan player. Maybe not immediately after the World Cup. Maybe a year later. But..he could go back to MLS IF he doesn’t be a free agent and sign up to Milan permanently in this November. Which I doubt it.
It’s not an ideal situation as he will be playing back-to back seasons for another year like this year. However it keeps the marketing people happy as both Milan and Galaxy can sell ‘Beckham’ shirts.
The stint at Milan has demonstrated that he is by no means a ‘has-been’ and it became increasingly obvious that the MLS no longer held much attraction for him… In fact the MLS is simply not ready for this calibre of player, sorry boys but it’s true!
Sorry, Ahmed, I have to disagree with you. You say:
“On the other hand, at that age with his technical abilities he’d still be a valuable star for the Galaxy.”
Galaxy fans says: Wrong. He’s already dead to us. From arriving injured after allowing Real Madrid to numb his ankle, to causing the Ruud Gullit disaster, to arranging the Milan loan behind the backs of team management, he’s been a disaster. He’s been a taker when we needed a giver.
Galaxy fans hate him (yes, hate) for what he’s put the team through. If the team has any chemistry whatsoever in the first seventeen pre-Beckham games of the season, Bruce Arena won’t even play him because he’s already disrupted the team enough. And it’s not our job to be sure he’s fit for England.
He should’ve paid a few million more to buy out his contract, because once he leaves, MLS wouldn’t take him back on a silver platter. He’s already sold all the jerseys he’s gonna sell. Good-bye, Becks, and good riddance.
hes gonna be bloody knackered after it all.playing all year?he’ll be dead before SA2010 comes around!
Fans want a player who contributes to a team winning, not a celebrity whose value is to sell Shirts. He has already done for Milan in a few months than he has ever done for the Galaxy. Good bye and Good luck to Beckham.
Laurie expresses my opinion completely. As an Angeleno–and a Galaxy Fan–Becks is dead to me. Mostly, because he has not been honest with us. He lied going over to AC Milan. Once there, he pissed on us with comments about the league. And frankly, I think he tried to get bought out of his MLS contract now.
He will stay. And like others, I think he will ultimately remain the length of his contract–becuase it will be the best money he can get. He is old, and he is basically subsidizing his own play at AC Milan.
But I will cheer Donovan and the rest of the Galaxy team. Beckham will not receive any more fan attention from me.