Why David Beckham Is The Greatest Footballer Ever
In a game that demands passion, skill, and dedication its not the one with the most ability that makes to the very top
David Beckham is the greatest English footballer of all time.
Now when you read that first sentence you’ll probably immediately disagree. You`ll likely say something like:
“What about Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, or Bobby Moore?”
But I`ll come across with a counterargument.
Firstly, do I think, from what I’ve seen that Matthews or Chardon were better footballers?
Absolutely!
I think their ability was better than Beckham’s any day of the week.
But ability is only one attribute when it comes to choosing who the best player ever is.
Regarding Beckham’s ability I`d agree with what the unbelievably talented George Best had to say about Beckham which was:
“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 all right.”
Because it’s all true.
David Beckham had limited technical skills and he was a limited athlete too. He played in one position on the right-wing for his whole career and used his right foot to cross balls into the box and hit the odd free-kick to the back of the net. That in a nutshell is about the size of his ability.
But he did it consistently well.
Although he wasn’t able to tackle like Roy Keane who played beside him as the captain of Manchester United for many years and hadn’t the fieriness of the Irish man he had his way of leading instead. Ryan Giggs played on the left-wing and dazzled fans with his left foot and pace there’s no doubt that at times he looked streets ahead of Beckham. Even center-halves Gary Pallister and Steve Bruce could head the ball better and probably scored more goals from play from their position too.
Yet none of them had the same impact on football as Beckham had. And although that Manchester United team rose to the pinnacle of Europe many of those players were not even English.
David Beckham consistently played the game of professional football for what it is. And that’s a business.
If you were to look at the league tables like club owners do then all they want to see is their team at the top of the table always.
Everything else doesn’t matter.
For the club, owners know that football is a business. And to make money out of the game you have to have a setup that has people who can consistently perform at a high level.
For most players that’s tricky.
Because most players buckle under the long-term pressure of playing at the highest level over a prolonged period. Sure many are consistent in playing well with one club or country for a few years but when they have to adapt and move to another team they usually can’t find the same level of performance.
Club owners and managers also realize that football is a team game.
And to have a team you need different pieces of the jigsaw to work well.
Beckham could not only adapt to different teams and countries well over time and find the same high level of performance but he knew his value within the team and played his position without feeling that he had more to give in other positions on the field.
Beckham’s presence on a team also brought attention to a club. Although who you’re married to shouldn’t matter in a football match it does help with supporters.
Because fans love celebrities.
And Beckham led the celebrity lifestyle.
Having married Victoria Beckham who was one of the leading members of the Spice Girls and from the 1990s, Beckham was seen here and there at celebrity outings and his face was plastered on all media as a result. Some old-fashioned managers had problems with this, but many club owners and coaches saw this as a distinct advantage too.
Because when a player of that fame joins a team supporters feel they are closer to not only a footballer but a celebrity and this gets them excited.
That excitement opens their purse strings and makes them spend money.
Jerseys, mugs, tracksuits, hair bands, and anything that Beckham promoted sold like hot cakes coming out of an oven.
And that income went back into clubs so that they could re-invest into their team and marketing.
Because running a football a professional football team is all about selling a brand.
Harsh as it sounds to the die-hard supporter who loves their club for the football they play the reality is that football players are commodities on the marketplace. And David Beckham’s value was bigger than any other English player ever as he was a marketing tool to get people interested in the product that was the football team that he played for at any given time.
Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-German, and AC Milan all massive clubs in the world of football.
And they were the teams that Beckham played for. No other English player can claim to have had success in such illustrious clubs or leagues in the world. By offering his consistency, adaptability, and his fame Beckham’s presence in these teams did more than any other English player.
Professional football is a simple game and Beckham was a simple man who figured it out.
Make people spent money on the product that was Beckham and they’ll think he was the greatest English player ever.
And it’s difficult to argue against David Beckham being the greatest English player ever given what he did for the business that is professional football.
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