David Beckham

[Don Pacifico]

I think he loses all credibility as a footballer with this move. I'm sure that there were a number of European clubs (probably of good standard rather than the 'greats') who wanted him. With all due respect to the MLS, he won't be pushing himself there and to consider oneself a top athlete, a footballer has to challenge themself to achieve their potential. Instead, Beckham either doesn't believe in his ability any more, or is simply moving for non-footballing reasons.

Good luck to him, but he'll never get back into the England team now.

 

[Captain]

£500,000 per week is the reason.

 

[famous no 10]

£500,000 per week is the reason.

per week? :shock:

 

[Captain]

yep.

£128M over five years.

 

[asajoseph]

I can't believe that figure is accurate - surely there isn't that much money in the MLS?

 

[awooga83]

That is a stupid amount but your not going to refuse that if it comes along. They are willing to pay that probably just to say look at the MLS we have at least some great players here. Is the money not just paid by some rich chairman as well because i would doubt that kind of money is in the MLS.

Oh well David Beckham's career will stroll to an end now and he has obviously accepted that.

 

[nidza7]

Agree,not even high profile NFL players get that much.Must be some mistake.

 

[illmatik]

I think he loses all credibility as a footballer with this move. I'm sure that there were a number of European clubs (probably of good standard rather than the 'greats') who wanted him. With all due respect to the MLS, he won't be pushing himself there and to consider oneself a top athlete, a footballer has to challenge themself to achieve their potential. Instead, Beckham either doesn't believe in his ability any more, or is simply moving for non-footballing reasons.

Good luck to him, but he'll never get back into the England team now.

I'm sorry mate...but I'll have to completely disagree with you...with David Beckham coming to the MLS..it opens many doors for US football...down here in the US, you ask anyone about "soccer" and they have no idea what your talking about, but when you ask them who "David Beckham" is they will give you a perfect description of him. Now that he is over here, many Americans will follow MLS more, bringing more money and more attention to the game...with more attention to the game brings more concentration on US football...already today when I woke up, the news was all over the place, it was headlines in every sports show...I also feel Beckham will dominate the league because come on man, David Beckham in the MLS? He will bring his style of play to the MLS and others will adapt, bringing more competition and a better style of play..I am quite positive this deal is going to be a great deal not only for David Beckham but for US football

 

[illmatik]

I can't believe that figure is accurate - surely there isn't that much money in the MLS?

you'd be suprised

 

[asajoseph]

I can't believe that figure is accurate - surely there isn't that much money in the MLS?

you'd be suprised

If LA Galaxy can afford to pay Beckham (or even need to pay him) about four times what the highest paid players in England can make, I would be very, very surprised, yes.

Excuse my ignorance, but where is the money coming from? And isn't there a salary cap in MLS?

 

[KingReyes]

£500,000 per week is the reason.

No ****ing serious? No wonder he left Madrid.

 

[>YounGunner<]

American football is a joke. I bet those duff Americans think hes the best in the world..

 

[bazza_afc]

I can't believe that figure is accurate - surely there isn't that much money in the MLS?

Am I right in thinking the owner of LA Galaxy is a billionare? That figure probably doesn't cover his image rights which will probably be about 50%. They will re-coup alot of that, you know what they're like over there, they'll buy every bit of Beckha merchandise going.

 

[USArsenal]

I can't believe that figure is accurate - surely there isn't that much money in the MLS?

you'd be suprised

If LA Galaxy can afford to pay Beckham (or even need to pay him) about four times what the highest paid players in England can make, I would be very, very surprised, yes.

Excuse my ignorance, but where is the money coming from? And isn't there a salary cap in MLS?

the salary cap has been removed for a maximum of 2 (i think) players as part of what is known as the "Beckham Rule". The wages paid to these players over the salary cap max will be handled directly by the club...

also, please note that these are all in US Dollars.. and i think figures being thrown about are inaccurate.. i would be surprised if he is paid more than $200,000 per week (USD, again) for his actual "salary"...

 

[Shredder]

Seriously, who do they think they're getting? Eusebio circa 1966? Maradona circa 1986?

While I expect a boom to commence upon his arrival and probably continue into his second year, they'll soon notice that Beckham really isn't much of a player anymore and the hype will die down like all things "soccer" in the US of A. Maybe Beckham will get seven squad numbers or something so he can sell extra shirts.

They do realise that they'll be paying Beckham £25million when he's 37, right? Um, right?

Not only does this discredit Beckham as a money grabber, but it also discredits the MLS as a whole for being unable to construct a viable product from within - forced to rely on spectacles to make anything happen. Have they forgotten what happened with the Cosmos in the old NASL (and that league as a whole)?

Maybe I'm wrong and this Beckham transfer will finally cue the paradigm shift in the American sports-psyche towards soccer, but for now I will allow myself to feel rather confident about my prediction...

 

[Don Pacifico]

I think he loses all credibility as a footballer with this move. I'm sure that there were a number of European clubs (probably of good standard rather than the 'greats') who wanted him. With all due respect to the MLS, he won't be pushing himself there and to consider oneself a top athlete, a footballer has to challenge themself to achieve their potential. Instead, Beckham either doesn't believe in his ability any more, or is simply moving for non-footballing reasons.

Good luck to him, but he'll never get back into the England team now.

I'm sorry mate...but I'll have to completely disagree with you...with David Beckham coming to the MLS..it opens many doors for US football...down here in the US, you ask anyone about "soccer" and they have no idea what your talking about, but when you ask them who "David Beckham" is they will give you a perfect description of him. Now that he is over here, many Americans will follow MLS more, bringing more money and more attention to the game...with more attention to the game brings more concentration on US football...already today when I woke up, the news was all over the place, it was headlines in every sports show...I also feel Beckham will dominate the league because come on man, David Beckham in the MLS? He will bring his style of play to the MLS and others will adapt, bringing more competition and a better style of play..I am quite positive this deal is going to be a great deal not only for David Beckham but for US football

Maybe, but that doesn't couter my point. How does dominating a league full of players below par (in comparison to Europe) not lose you footballing credibility? So he raises the profile of 'soccer'...who cares, thats not why he's going to the US so still no credibility there. If Beckham wanted respect, he should have stayed in Europe.

 

[Gryphon]

He is signing for LA Galaxy (MLS). The deal is worth $200 million for 5 years. :shock:

if i could just make half of that in the next 20 years 8)

Even if we did get Beckham, i dont think that our forwards would be upto the task of muscling down some headers towards goal. Henry is just god awful at headers most of the time, and Ade doesnt play regularly enough to warrant a change in tactics towards crossing.

Maybe if we get a strong tall forward who's not afraid to use his head...

its a myth that beckham just plays the cross right on the fowrds head, he can plant it between defenders in front of the fowards which makes van nistleroy look so good. plus he can create a fair bit

American football is a joke. I bet those duff Americans think hes the best in the world..

quoted for truth

 

[mindchnger]

I'm sorry mate...but I'll have to completely disagree with you...with David Beckham coming to the MLS..it opens many doors for US football...down here in the US, you ask anyone about "soccer" and they have no idea what your talking about, but when you ask them who "David Beckham" is they will give you a perfect description of him. Now that he is over here, many Americans will follow MLS more, bringing more money and more attention to the game...with more attention to the game brings more concentration on US football...already today when I woke up, the news was all over the place, it was headlines in every sports show...I also feel Beckham will dominate the league because come on man, David Beckham in the MLS? He will bring his style of play to the MLS and others will adapt, bringing more competition and a better style of play..I am quite positive this deal is going to be a great deal not only for David Beckham but for US football

While I think raising the profile of the MLS and "soccer" as a whole in the US is the motive behind a move for Beckham, I really question whether it will actually pay off. I'm an American myself, and to be honest, it seems to me the majority of Americans only know David Beckham due to his celebrity status, his looks, his marriage to a former Spice Girl, etc. and not so much for his footballing ability. The US is overtly infatuated with celebrity culture as you can see from the likes of Paris Hilton becoming a "celebrity" for nothing other than being rich. As one of the other posters mentioned, it's very difficult to change the psyche of sports fans in any given country... this is certainly not something that will happen overnight or with one "big name" signing like this. It's sad but true that more sports fans in America care about baseball, basketball, American football, and even hockey. The small pocket of true footballing fans in the country who turn out for MLS games or follow the game overseas may well be excited by the prospect of watching Beckham still play since he's not completely over-the-hill yet, but I suspect the initial surge of fans to jump on the Beckham train will be bandwagon fans who may not even stick around for long. As for his own motives, I'm hard-pressed to believe his sanctioning a move like this was made for any sort of sporting reasons. He'll still sell loads of shirts and have fans cheer him on based on his past achievements and celebrity status alone, but the MLS is really a second-rate league. Even the good American footballers are plying their trade in Europe and none really at top teams. Time will tell whether it will develop beyond that.

 

[yankeegooner]

I think it's important here to separate the "real" football fans in America, from the soccer fans. Many of the posters on this forum are Americans, and aside from our usernames, and lack of references to sitting in the stands at the game the previous night, you can't tell that we're American.

Beckham is a transfer for the soccer fans, the casual fans, the ones who know more about his life than about his football, have never watched him at Real or Man U, and who think he plays for England (trust me, I've had to explain club football dozens of times). But frankly, there are many more casual soccer fans in the states than hard-core football fans, so I think it's a brilliant piece of business for MLS and the Galaxy. Frankly, the fact that they can say they were competing with major European clubs for him and beat them financially, makes the league look legit. For Beckham, yes, it is an admission of giving up on his international career, and his meaningful, competitive club career, but it is also a chance to become a legend in a different way.

Finally, on his salary, the word is that the majority of that is strictly tied to endorsements. Imagine transferring Beckham's endorsement deals (Gillette, Nike, Pepsi, loads really), to him being stateside in the flesh on the TV for MLS games, on Sportscenter, spotted at the Super Bowl, courtside at Lakers games, etc. Suddenly, the value of those endorsements for the US market increases exponentially. So it won't be really the Galaxy paying him, but their corporate sponsors/partners. Imagine what they'll have to say if he doesn't play.
It is, I believe tied for the largest total dollar value deal ever in the US (A-rod got 10 years, 250 million US from Texas), but it's larger in terms of annual, though I'm sure Tiger makes more annually, and Jordan made way more per year, including endorsements as well, at the end of his time with the Bulls. So I guess I'm saying it's in line with a superstar, world-class athlete compensation for the US, and Beckham will be far and away the best player in his league for the next few years (not saying much, I know, I can't stand MLS).

 

[yankeegooner]

One other thought, since people were asking about Galaxy ownership, this is from the BBC:

"LA Galaxy are owned by sports and entertainment giants AEG, who are also partners in Beckham's soccer academy in Los Angeles."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6248835.stm

The also own two other MLS clubs, Chicago Fire and Houston Dynamo.

But obviously the tie-in with Beckham's soccer academy in LA is quite interesting.