The Football Tragic

An interesting article appeared on the Football 365 site recently, dealing with an episode in English football history which parallels the current Beckham-to-the-MLS situation.

The comparison of the MLS to the old “Third Division South” is a little unfair (and it’s amusing to note, in passing, that the calamitous embarrassment of the 1950 World Cup still rankles with the Poms), but there’s certainly a point to the analogy.

Steve McLaren’s ditching of David Beckham so early on in his tenure seemed to be a statement of intent rather than any comment on Beckham’s form, or his usefulness to the national side. Although he was hardly at his best, it’s worth remembering that if not for Beckham’s right foot, England might have struggled to get out of the first round at the World Cup.

Following Beckham’s resuscitation at Real Madrid, McLaren has come back, hat in hand, and brought him back into the fold – with immediate results. That hasn’t stopped Brian Glanville having his usual literate spray, though…

The story of Tommy Lawton may be a salutary one, but to my mind, there is a more telling comparison: the move to the old North American Soccer League by the great Franz Beckenbauer, some thirty years ago.

The parallels are obvious. Both in their early thirties. Both icons in their respective countries. Both purportedly aiming to spread the good word in the United States, rather than just collecting one last fat paycheck before hanging up the boots. And both still very much in the plans of their respective international managers.

In a recent interview, Beckenbauer detailed, with some derision, the efforts that were made to lure him back into the (West) German side for the 1978 World Cup. Again, there are some echoes of McLaren’s recall of Beckham (although, of course, the latter hasn’t crossed the Atlantic just yet).

The fact that there is already talk of a loan deal to a European club, should the LA Galaxy fail to make the MLS playoffs, surely indicates that Beckham still has international ambitions. Not that England is likely to win a major tournament any time soon, but some of his best (and worst) moments have come in games for country rather than club.

Easily the best game I’ve ever seen Beckham play was the 2-2 draw with Greece that sent England to the 2002 World Cup. To borrow a phrase from Beckenbauer, if you’d put everyone in the England team that day, bar Beckham, into a sack and then hit it, you’d have got someone who deserved it.

There is one clear difference between the two players. Beckenbauer had nothing more to achieve when he went west; he’d won the World Cup and the European Nations Cup, and had racked up a hat-trick of European Cup triumphs with Bayern Munich. Continuing to turn out for Helmut Schoen’s West Germany side was clearly pretty low on his list of priorities.

But Beckham is clearly keen to continue representing his country – and it could make his American sojourn even more problematic than it already appears to be.