Monday, 21 November 2011

Who's bothered about the MLS Cup?

I've got to be honest - I've no real interest in the MLS Cup at all. And as for David Beckham getting to the final? I can't think there'll be too many people bothered about that.
It's not on the same level as the Premier League title, La Liga or Serie A, or the Champions League of course.
So given what Beckham has achieved in English and European football, I reckon the MLS Cup medal will slip in somewhere at the back of his trophy cabinet.
Beckham was a young kid coming through when I was at the end of my Manchester United career. He was a lively boy, from the East End of London like me, and he had a belief in his ability even then. He loved passing the ball, picking out the winning 60-yard pass. He was talented, even if in my opinion Paul Scholes was always the better player.
He was in love with Manchester United, and back then I wouldn't have predicted the globe-trotting career that he's had now. But then I never foresaw him getting involved with someone attempting to be a pop star, getting himself a pop agent rather than a football agent.
The spells in Spain, Italy and the US will have been good for his kids, an opportunity to travel, to experience things you could never teach in a classroom. And he'll have had plenty of good moments.
But overall? I do think he'll have regrets about his five years in the US. It was a big mistake, the timing of it. He still played for England, but at the end of his time it was more about Beckham the brand than Beckham the footballer.
I also think he'll have regrets about leaving Manchester United in 2003 in the way that he did. I think he knows his exit from Old Trafford was down to him, and he'll have to live with those regrets. We all have them.
What next for Beckham? There's talk about him playing at the Olympics, but maybe it's time to say, ‘I had a tremendous career, my international time is up.' England need to move forward. Capello left the door open for him to play in the Olympics, but I don't think he should even do that.
You want your three over-23s to have experience, but not so much that they can only play bit-part roles in the tournament.
At club level, maybe America is the place for him these days. He might get away with things there, where the standard is a bit lower.
I've heard the PSG rumours, but you have to be honest - they wouldn't be signing him for his energy. It's a brand thing for the Qatari owners. If the owners want to transform the club and French football, you need to try going for the likes of Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. You might not get them, but you aim high. Beckham is a name, but he won't transform the French league.
Besides, French football is usually quite quick, a game for the young players. Would he fit in? I very much doubt he'd play regularly.
If he goes to an English team, he's not going to go to a club that's challenging for major honours. And if that means the club are in a battle, I have my doubts about whether he'd want to handle that.
Spurs are linked, but he'd slow them down. They're about quick passes, and he can't play at a high tempo any more. To take Spurs further, Harry Redknapp should be looking for another Rafael van der Vaart-type, with years left in their career.
And QPR? They need a bit more than that because every game will be a scrap to make sure they stay up.
Whatever Beckham decides, I hope it's a long-term move. You can only move your children around so much, and the kids need stability. He's achieved a lot, but it's time for the next generation.

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