It now looks to be a case of when rather than if. The British papers are full of Beckham/Real Madrid/MLS stories today and we are now beginning to see more confirmations of what was being widely discussed at the NSCAA convention in Indianapolis yesterday - Galaxy reps are actively negotiating with Beckham and a deal is imminent.
I just saw this. It's nice that the Beckham rule at least landed Beckham...I mean the rule is named after him. But there is no way that the contract figures can possibly be correct, is there? 5 years at US$250 million. That's 2x more per year than Alex Rodriguez makes!
this is commedy, even for all his marketing prowess madrid paid him around 4 millon pounds a year and a player who is not at his peak , was never a game changing player of zizoe or ronaldhino mould earns $50m a season is desperation for recognation by the mls, l can not believe that us soccer has sunk so low.you look at people in north america , more than 80% of them follow european soccer nobody really give a #### about mls games, its quite crazy.you have to ask yourself that am l going to pay more attention because beckham is at the mls, hell no.the mls is forgetting that what makes the leauge a good one is not the name of a player but the qulity of the players and the game and the aqcusation of beckham does not epitomise that.l would rather wear an arsenal or united jeasry than a galaxy jearsy and l do not know what the mls was thinking paying him that much.the money that madrid and united made from becks was a combination of clubs being successful on the pitch with many followers and having a marketable player in his prime.this will make fergie look like a god for sacking becks
Last edited by henry14 on January 11th at 9:18 AM.
I agree that MLS and AEG have paid more than David Beckham's going rate, but this is a transfer which will have a dramatic effect on the entire game of football in the U.S. - more-so than just MLS.
For MLS, the excitement level will increase not only for the L.A. Galaxy but for all teams in the league. Be prepared for thousands of screaming girls checking the fixtures to see when their local team plays the Galaxy.
I guess this means that Becks has officially packed in his career at the ripe old age of 31. He will not play another match or win another trophy (with all due respect to MLS) that matters, and has obviously given up hope of earning another England cap.
The rumored $250M and complete ownership of his image and sponsorships cannot possibly be accurate, unless it is mostly incentives based on club and league revenues. Even Abramovich will be shaking his head when he reads that one!! If his contact is worth 10% of what it is rumored to be, it would still be a complete waste of money. Beckham is not a top football player anymore, and cannot really help the Galaxy or the MLS from a football perspective. The MLS lacks support at home, and I don’t think this is the answer.
Venti, I'm a big fan of yours (as a big fan of Milan, too) and you are usually spot-on. As you are here. Except Beckham-to-Galaxy isn't about a player, or a league. The player is, to be sure, hanging it up at the ripe old age of 31. He has to. He can't get first-team football at one of the EPL's Big 4; he can't even crack a Real Madrid XI that is shambolic. He'd be picking splinters out of his bottom on the pine at the San Siro, too.
What do you do if you're Beckham? Play for West Ham? Of course not, you trade on what you've got and you Go Hollywood. And American SOCCER will be better for having him here. He'll create Buzz. He'll be on the cover of magazines. He'll do commercials. And he'll sell SOCCER.
He's a nice-looking fellow with a glamourous wife and some children, and his face will be everywhere. Sure, if I'm a Galaxy fan, I'd rather have Ronaldinho, but he doesn't speak English.
Is Beckham a great player? (Was he ever a great player?) Not anymore. But Angeline Jolie is not a great actress, and yet she gets people to go to the movies, especially the ones she isn't in. Beckham will do much the same for soccer.
As for the money, MLS is supposedly on the hooks for $400,000 a year of it. The rest comes from AEG and I would imagine the $36 million over 5 years is just someone's guess as to what his image rights are worth.
Art has it right, I think. BBC reported that he gets to keep all of his rights and endorsements to himself instead of giving up some to the club. Not sure how much that will impress his teammates making 200k a year, but I guess now Beckham can afford to buy them a private jet.
Fellow blogger Art has made several valid points possibly much in line with what ran through Mr. Beckhams mind as well. Not all bad or all good but reality.
On the other hand; H14, you once again emotionally rant on an issue you have little understanding about although I can accept your very clouded opinion. That is what this forum is for. However; I respectfully suggest you stick to your on/off love affair with the Gunners. I would have thought the last two wins over the Reds would have left you in a more positive frame of mind.
Bottom line: If Real, the EPL and England don't want him we will gladly take him. The US and LA Galaxy should be commended for their vision and excited about the future of football in the US.
Come on David; let's do lunch.
Cheers
Last edited by azbhoy on January 11th at 11:24 AM.
The NSCAA convention is obviously buzzing with the news. The FSC folks phones are going continously from press and radio wanting to do interviews on the Beckham deal. I don't think anyone should get to hung up on the money that is being bandied about - that is designed to attract headlines and it has worked.
I will get into more detail tomorrow on the Fox Soccer Report but I think it is a great move for Beckham and a positive move for the game in North America. It is being compared to the arrival of Pele in 1975 but I see few similarities.
azbhoy,l can understand your bad mood since we wooped your #### twice in four days.l am not emotional but any club that pays becks $260m for playing soccer for 5 years must be sick.at 31 it is not the age to start winding up your carrer hence l do not think it is that good a move for him, the obvious reasons are for the money if thats true.Bobby why did the us national team get hold of that money and hire a sensible coach rather than pay all that to becks
Last edited by henry14 on January 11th at 11:55 AM.
henry14 and others that are hung up on $250M - Unless you can show me otherwise where does it say that that the club or the MLS for that matter is paying $250M to Beckham.
Based on information that I have been able to gleem what we have with this deal is an extraordinarily innovative contract that returns the image rights to Beckham as well as Beck's benefiting from the massive pay off that the likes of Adidas, Gillette and Pepsi will accrue now that one of their most prominent pitch men will be based in the USA.
In other words the American consumer will be paying the vast majority of the $250M that Beckham will receive. I canot see how this cannot be viewed as anything but a positive move for North American soccer.
Ribery to Real would be absolutely brilliant in my opinion. He needs to get out of France and Marseille and establish himself as the great player I think we can all agree he will be. With Capello bringing in a bunch of young players then it could give Ribery the chance to be their main man in years to come.
Beckham’s decision is a positive for US football and viewed as such by many of the English press and football bloggers. For example, check the Daily Mail and Guardian web sites and chats.
I would further tend to agree with our Bobby’s assessment of the impact on US football and his comment regarding the abstract millions quoted.
Sorry - H14, once again son you've got it wrong.
I am an EPL neutral not a Reds fan. I may however be slightly biased in favor of the so called smaller but no less worthy EPL teams: Reading, Newcastle (arguably smaller), Bolton and the like.
If you look at my blog name even you should be able to determine where my Arizona based allegiance lies.
And, let’s not take this all too seriously; we don’t live or die by football – except on Saturday afternoon. ;-)
Bobby, wherever it comes from wasn't my point...my point was the fact(is it confirmed fact yet?) he's going to get $250 million over the next five years is a bit shocking, especially considering he's just a glorified free-kick taker (though he can't even take penalties properly).
But as has been said, aside from financial issues, this will bring more attention to the MLS, especially from the mainstream North American media. It's an indictment on how pathetic the culture of the sport is in North America. It takes a big name to gain interest.
It will be interesting to see what happens if Beckham is no more than a circus act (i.e., doesn't perform well). Will he be benched? Because if so, this will be a repeat of the Adu situation when he first started...generate a lot of short-lived interest and flame out quickly. And then the parties paying him will be left to foot a very large bill with very little return.
The most recent thing reported here in LA (Orange Cty Register) is that his "salary" (whatever that means these days) will be $10M. The rest is commercial rights and incentives.
Regardless of the money, bringing a player like Becks to the U.S. will boost the image and interest of the game in this country. You could bring far better players (e.g. Ronaldinho, Rooney, C. Ronaldo and Henry) to this country and not generate the interest that Beckham will. MLS is banking more on how many his image will bring into the game, not how well he plays.
I don't see how Beckham will bring new American fans to the MLS, or how kids who would've otherwise played other sports will now be drawn to soccer. Beckham's image and approach to the game, is polar opposite to what is perceived as sports greatness in the US. The MLS would've been better off with a player like Roy Keane to attract some NFL or MLB type fans. I think Beckham will further alienate sports fans who do not like soccer despite some initial interest.
Why is Beckham going to LA? What's in it for him besides dollars and Hollywood? I agree that it's nice for the MLS to have a guy like Becks on display, but he represents a considerable investment, and I don't see much potential for a significant long term benefit to US soccer or the MLS.
(Note: I was never much of a fan of Beckham's even when he was considered one of the best players in the world 1998-2002)
Venti Vide Vice;
Your last paragraph gives you away.
..Note: I was never much of a fan of Beckham's even when he was considered one of the best players in the world 1998-2002) ..
In other words your mind is already made up and don't confuse you with facts or opinions to the contrary.
That's a shame.
Why don't you give the guy a chance?
How would Roy Keane be a better help to the league than Becks? I love Keano, but he's not an icon like Becks. You ask 100 random Americans if they know who Roy Keane is. Then ask if they know who Beckham is. I'd be surprised if one American knows who Keane is, but I'm sure you'll find a few people who know of Beckham.
I don't think little kids are going to start playing soccer because of Beckham. Little kids are going to play because of a direct influence from another individual (i.e. like a parent or friend). But what I do think it will do for the league is get people who wouldn't normally watch the league to watch a game. This guy is an attraction. And when the Galaxy are on the road, other teams will see an increase in ticket sales. Now will it last over the five years, I don't know. I've never really paid attention to MLS, but I'm more likely to watch a Galaxy game now.
Anything I write is just an opinion, and quite often I'm wrong.
Beckham was a great player, and by the time he arrives in LA at the age of 32, he'll still have something to offer on the field. However I never liked his style of play or his attitude on the field. In almost 4 years in Madrid he collected a hefty paycheck and produced little in return. I don't see why the next 5 with even less motivation and years past his prime could be much different.
Roy Keane is maybe not a good example, but MLS teams and players need a leader, a captain, someone passionate who fans can relate to, and who can take their team to the next level. Unfortunately Becks is not that guy, he has never been that guy.
I simply don't understand the logic of this massive investment (whatever it amounts to) in signing Beckham. I hope I'm wrong again, but it seems like a huge publicity stunt which in a year or two will have made no difference at all, except of course to the Beckham family bank account.
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on January 11th at 6:10 PM.
Yes, in a league like MLS Beckham still has something to offer on the field. It was interesting to note that the trnasfer was headline news in Toronto today, with DB being referred to as 'the Wayne Gretsky of soccer' (puke). I thought David Wells might have been a better comparison, but am still searching for the right simile. However, the point is, for those who know nothing about the game, he's a big star, beyond the game, and there's no doubt his arrival will; generate interest and hype soccer has never seen before in the US. How long that lasts, and whether it translates into any lasting benefit, remains to be seen. I'm personally skeptical, as I don't think there are many who know the game well who are going to go to any games just to see Becks loaf around on the wing and amble up to take the odd free kick.
V3;
Aye, opinion it is and I appreciate yours (and others) and your argument.
While Keano appears to have his hands full at Sunderland it would be a treat to see him as a US manager. Him being so laid back and all! He looks to have kept the Black Cats from the drop into the lower league and now onto mid table and climbing.
Perhaps one day he will follow his old ManU mate to America.
These days I wouldn't rule anything out regarding players or managers.
Cheers
Like 3V I'm not a fan. DB's involvement seems almost like an NFL place kicker. He can win matches but he's somehow off on one side. Having said that, it has to be good for Beckham and MLS both on and off the field. I'm sure he'll have a lot of fun. Some young kids will watch him and get inspired. You can almost guarrantee that he'll score some kind of winning goal in his first game. You have to hand it to him, I'm sure he'll give it all he's got on the field.
At least it's taken my attention off a rough week for me. The gods must be angry with John Terry after he pleaded no contest in return for not getting a match ban. Somebody please tell me that his risky back operation didn't cause JT permanent nerve damage. No transfer deals, JM packing his bags (for LA?). Time to hold your breath of you're a Chelsea fan.
l have to say what ever you come up with you have to say it more about tourism rather football, selling of shirts which l doubt than football.is the move for football means, l do not think so , but for commercial means.people who go to stadiums, do not go there because there are superstars there but to enjoy the live enviroment of the game and l do not think stadiums will be full.we all critiscsed cashely for his antics saying that they did not go along football ethics , whats shocking is that we have a player payed250m for his markerting and not neccersarily football and a bunch other footballers who are genuwine being paid 1/10000th of that and you expect any parent to say go and make a living my son in the mls , no wonder its a big joke,l am a firm believer that players should get more millions on what they do on the pitch rather than anything else,there is no guarantee he will be mls best player.bobby what do think other talented rookies in the mls will feel
I am glad the Galaxy worked this deal out with Becks, because there was a real possibility he may’ve signed with AC Milan, and that would’ve been agony in an already painful season.
Is this the first time in sports history that a 32-year-old (when his contract starts) has been offered a 5 year contract, other than a goalie or a manager?
I hope the MLS has some money left to sign Claudio Reyna, who will be a lot more valuable on the field than Beckham.
With all due respect to the MLS, which I know has come a long way in it’s short existence, is still relatively weak, and the product on the field is still not good enough to really capitalize on the acquisition of Beckham. I could be wrong (of course!), but I don’t believe the last MLS title game featured a single player who played in the World Cup. Pele was the big attraction for the Cosmos, but they had a few other big names too.
If Philip Anschutz, who I know is a gazillionaire, wants to throw a quarter of a billion dollars at David Beckham to have him kick a ball around for the Galaxy for 5 years, and attend every Hollywood event and Beverly Hills hot spot between games, more power to them both. But let’s not kid ourselves into thinking for a second that this is going to do anything to help US soccer, other than sell a few extra tickets and shirts this summer.
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on January 12th at 8:50 AM.
djnima, how can you say that the Gunners can't have all the good midfielders? Just look at Chelsea's middle. There's Ballack, Lampard, Robben, Essien, Cole, etc. I hope Ribery comes the EPL, even if he signs with the Gunners. I was really impressed by him and Tevez in the WC.
There happened to be a kid named Clint Dempsey, who if I remember correctly, did play and did score at WC06.
He also did play at MLS cup, almost scored twice during play and would have scored a PK most likely if he hadn't passed the responsibility on to M. Parkhurst in the shoot-out. Being a SJ/Houston fan, I was more than pleased with the outcome.
The Beckham effect isn't to be looked at as a waste but simply another small step in the right direction for US soccer. Coupled with future big name signings, the league shall slowly develop into an attractive product. But I understand, instant gratification is the vein of american culture these days.
Last edited by drewgreen on January 12th at 12:26 PM.
To get back on the DB track. I think from MLS's perspective this could prove to be a beneficial move. As long as DB's contract $'s are sponsorship financed, who really cares.
From a fan's perspective DB's salary may turm some people off but he could create and put a lot more fans in the seats as well.
Like many posters have said this move is all about marketing.
As for his impact on the pitch IMHO DB never was or will be a "great player". He was a two dimensional footballer at best, a consistant crosser and deadball specialist. At Real Madrid he became a box to box player which is obviously not his strength. On the good side he's a team player and a very good brand for the game although his handlers may want to invest in elocution lessons as he often comes across as "thick as a stump".
Let's face it MLS is always competing in this country with well established and deeply financed sports. DB in LA is a marketers (not a soccer purists') dream. He, Posh and their family will fit in well in Hollywood.
There is absolutely no question that the deal for DB is a cout d'etat for MLS and soccer in North America. This deal is not about DB's playing ability as much as it is about marketing the MLS. Anyone who doesn't see this hasn't yet taken Marketing 101 or any intro marketing course. As for the value of the deal, it's all smoke and mirrors as to the "salary." Almost all of the value is going to come from endorsements etc as Bobby points out. For the MLS, this is a no lose situation. Already, the MLS has gottem more combined press in 24 hours on this deal then the previous 11 years combined. No doubt ticket sales around the league will increase. The Galaxy likely sell out every game they play in this year (home & away) and more people will tune in on tv for their games. Even if this momentum slows in the coming years, the MLS really isn't on the hook for any of the investment and worse case scenario, they are back to being the smallish, niche sports league with a core group of fans. However, I think this signing will pave the way for more stars. Personally, I've been, at best, a casual fan of the MLS and like others on this blog prefer the European leagues but I know I'll probably tune into the games where LA plays now just to see the spectacle, if not for the quality of play. I suspect they'll be others like me that will do the same. I wish DB and the MLS the best in this deal because I'd love to see the MLS and US soccer in general improve.
Bmax, you make very good points.
Everyone probably realizes that the Beckham trade is all about marketing the MLS, and that Becks will ONLY receive $10M a year in guaranteed salary.
However, the questions being raised are more to do with whether the average US sports fan could become a fan of Beckham's. I believe that Beckham is everything that US sports fans don't like about soccer. He is a huge name, but unfortunately not the right kind of player, especially for people who are new to the sport.
On the marketing point, I think the problem is that before you market you must create a good product and a product for which there a market.
VVV-
True.
Like many on this blog I am a European and Latin American fan that rarely watches MLS. The jury is out on DB.
We know one thing for certain and you'll understand this if you've spent anytime in the UK, DB will marketed across so many mediums that the soccer purists and rational people will fume but let's hope he can contribute to the growth of what I consider to be the universal language of sport.
1) would any of us on here watch any more mls matches that we already do just because becks as arrived in La.
2) Will becks attrack any of the the lajor hispanic football fans in america to take any more note of the mls.
I think the answers for those questions are no, but want he will do is increase the visiblity of the MLS in the american market (i've already seen him on CNN,ESPN, and Extra) and attack and few teenage girls to MLS of about a year.
OK now that the Beckham hoopla is winding down, yaaaaawn, we welcome back the epl to action today.
I must say 2007 is not even 2 weeks old and im loving it already! 2 complete thrashings of the scousers is quite a welcome to 2007 for all gooners. Just when i thought it coudlnt get any more delightful, reading the drama coming out of "From Russia with Love" also known as Chelski football club, well i just cant wipe that smile off my face! Noone coming in to stop the whinning about all of the injuries, like no other club has em, the poor mes about how unlucky he is, the desperate housewives quality of the melodrama of jose peter kenyon and arenson, hahahahahahaha. Now I read this morning that JM is delegating schevchenko to the reserves in an effort to force roman to back him or sack him! :)! Although some may argue this makes chelski a stronger side, hello!
Ahhh this is all sooo deliscious! Well the gunners are hittin their stride (again?) and with most of the 1st team back and fit we face a tough in form Rovers team eager for revenge! Should be fun and I cant wait for tomorrows edition of From Russia with Love, can u say ola real madrid! hahahahahaha
Last edited by riocharlie on January 13th at 3:16 AM.
Well, Chelsea played miserably against Wigan today. I for one will not be terribly disappointed to see Mourinho leave if someone with a nice attacking style replaces him.
A couple thoughts
1. Given Wigan's outstanding season last year, why is it that Jewel has replaced virtually his whole squad? Was anyone besides Leighton Baines even there last year? Admittedly some of the best ones left, but he's been buying mediocre players all year.
2. It looks to me like Ballack's main problem is that he's always slowing the game down. Instead of turning in the midfield he makes short back passes and layoffs, many of which are underhit. A hard working team picks them off and he's not really fast enough to catch them to recover. He needs to take a cue from Lamps and play with purpose and make the killer ball.
Beautiful display by Arsenal today, although Blackburn played well enough. Even though they have a reputation as a bruising team, they play an attractive game with lots of highlights. Poor call by the ref, Savage was chopping away at Gilberto like a golf divot.
On a completely different note, I've never followed MLS, but I find the news of DB coming over here interesting. And...I plan on buying a ticket to the first game LA Galaxy play in New York. Are there any other NY'ers on the blog thinking about going (if only for curiosity's sake)?
Last edited by atleti_female on January 13th at 6:41 PM.
l do not intend to put anti chelsea propaganda but it is the first time l have heard a player say we will revoult if the manager is sacked, who is incharge of chelsea.this is amazing, the next time if a player they want is to be transfered they revoult, l feel under no circumstances, even under wenger can players do this it just shows how disorganised the club is
Spot on Henry14. Although these few insanely-paid spoilt "key" players have been won over by Jose, I'd think other, probably more, players wouldn't care if Jose leaves. How would Roman respond to the blackmail? I'd get very tough, pay a heavy price and get rid of them all. Jose'd try hard to win something this season to prove his worth but I'd thank him for the trophy and bid him farewell.
This had been quite a weekend of Liga results: Espanyol 3 Barcelona 1 and Sevilla 1 Mallorca 2. The best result, of course, was Celta Vigo 1 Atletico Madrid 3.
Quite a week in la liga indeed, Barca seems to have lost edge they had last season (though that could be down to Eto'o and Messi being out but i don't like to make excuses) and players seem to have do motivation at all and Rijkaard needs to do something about that.
Sevilla are being found out as i thought they would, if they aren't allowed to counter-attack they find it hard to score.
Capello's renovation has beard its first fruits today and they have played with a sprit in the last two games than I’ve seen in a long while
Mean while Valencia keeps on winning and a sneaking up on the top 3.
But nothing in decided in January and with 6 point between 1st and 6th I don't think anything will be decided until the May.
In terms of the Catalonian derby, Barca simply lacked deadliness up front. I'm sure Barca supporters can hardly wait for the return of Eto'o and Messi. These two add additional flair and attack to their frontline.
Also, Barca had no problem dominating possession-- they just have nothing to show for it. Plus, they defended rather poorly.
Last edited by atleti_female on January 14th at 8:09 PM.
I watched Tottenham-Newcastle on FSC. I was most impressed by Newcastle's Martins and Spurs' Berbatov. Very entertaining game. Until the bitter end, Spurs pushed for an equalized...to no avail.
Has a ball ever been kicked as hard as Martins did today? Even in slow motion it was barely in the camera angle before it was in the net. A really entertaining game.
Isn't it interesting that Inter is playing Figo even though he has signed elsewhere for next year, but Madrid doesn't seem to think it can utilize Beckham under the same circumstances? I suspect some disingenuous moralizing on the part of Capello and the Board. Perhaps they are angry at the US for stealing some of Real Madrid's thunder?
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