He’s not alone (I’m looking at you, Marco van Basten).
I don’t know, does he still bend it like himself?
Yes he does but he has to take Poshes knickers off first. Off himself that is.
I’ll concede the technical skills of the Spaniards to you but the character of the English footballer (when playing for England) seems sadly lacking. The number of gutless performances I’ve seen in recent years now gives a lie to any suggestion that character is an English forté.
Speaking of which, do any of those unfortunates among us who witnessed the débacle against Portugal in the World Cup this year wonder why Beckham was crying on the bench following his substitution for injury? I take the uncharitable view that he was crying for himself, and the death of his personal dream. If he had anything about him, he would have behaved like a captain and remembered his responsibilities to the team.
Further to this observation, can anyone ever recall an England footballer calling a press conference specifically to announce his resignation as captain? Perhaps he thought that a grateful English public would lobby for a benefit match to mark his exit from that role.
A self-obsessed player and a self-obsessed man, he was good - but not that good.
Chez I like to think that Beckham was reduced to tears because he knew that his dream of winning a World Cup was over.
I also think that he somehow knew his time as England captain or even player was over.
As for being self obsessed I have to agree to a certain degree but I feel that his wife was much more obsessed with the Beckham image than he was, I mean she couldn’t sing to save her bloody life so what else was there other than David Beckhams fame?
No, absolutely not. In his last few games he was a one-trick pony: world-class at dead-ball set pieces, barely Premiership class at anything else. He has no pace, no ability to take on a man and beat him (a major liability for a right-sided midfielder), and his previously admirable workrate and tracking back was missing.
He’s not playing regularly for Real Madrid, and Aaron Lennon is a much brighter prospect that brings more balance to the side. England may lack the dead-ball abilities, but I’d rather that than sitting through more turgid games where ten players are waiting for a free kick and praying Beckham saves their arses from the fire.
Well, he was shedding these personal tears while England were still in the game.
Any team mates on the pitch hoping for support and inspiration must have been sorely distressed to look at the bench and observe the actions of a captain who seemed totally unconcerned with events on that pitch.
Despite your City affiliations, chowder, I invite you to compare and contrast Beckham’s captaincy in the Portugal game with that of Roy Keane in Juventus versus Manchester United (UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg 1998-1999). Banned from a prospective final because of a booking, he played like a man inspired.
I do not suggest for a minute that Keane was a perfect role model but you could never fault him for his leadership qualities.
Chez Yes indeed, I remember the game well.
Despite my City affiliations as you so delightfully put it (I prefer Love actually, pun intended)
I’ll go along with your assessment of Keane. He was without a shadow of doubt a leader.