As I am in Paris today, a topical article about the City’s most famous temporary resident at the moment. Roy Larking takes a look at the boys-own career of one of England’s finest ever modern day players.
David Beckham. Not many names in the world of football evoke more mixed emotions, whether it’s love or hate, than the new main man of the moment in France’s Ligue 1. Beckham first signed with Manchester United as a 17 year old, where he played from 1993 to 2003 and registered 61 goals in 265 appearances.
After wearing out his welcome with the Manchester club, Beckham’s next move would spark controversy. With word spreading that Becks would be sold to Barcelona in 2003, Beckham shocked the football world when he signed a four year contract for €35 million with then reigning Spanish Champions Real Madrid. Beckham scored 13 goals in 116 appearances with the team in Madrid before he was on the move again.
Perhaps the most daring decision of his career, Beckham skipped out of Europe all together when he took his talents to North America. As the most recognized face in football, Beckham signed a 5-year base contract worth $32.5 million and joined the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Major Soccer League. During his stay in the MLS (98 Apps and 16 Gls) Beckham spent part of his Galaxy career on loan to Milan – a move that did not sit well with many fans in Los Angeles.
Beckham’s career has gone full circle now as he returned to Europe and signed on with the Paris St-Germain club where he played six matches in 2013. Always full of surprises, Beckham announced he would donate his entire salary during his time in Paris to a local children’s charity. While it’s a generous gesture, as the David Beckham Info-Graphic shows, the Beckham family won’t be starving anytime soon.
I suppose the one thing I miss is the opportunity to go to away games, which were always good fun. But in the end, finances won, and I am a home England fan only. So obviously, I am back tonight, in the cold for the start of the 150th anniversary celebrations for the oldest football association in the world.
Cole added a Champions League winner’s medal to his impressive trophy cabinet last campaign, despite Chelsea starting the knockout stages as outsiders in the 
Boston who? You might say but United Counties Premier League sides Boston Town and Loughborough served up an absolute feast back in September. I only arrived at half-time after watching the more famous Boston (United) play but the 22 players were obviously waiting for my arrival before putting on the real show. The visitors were 2-0 when I made my appearance, and by the sound of it were running away with the game. ”Bloody students…when you want them to be hungover from last night they bloody turn up looking like whippets” a local told me when I asked what the score was. Over the next twenty minutes the score went 1-2, 1-3 and then 2-3 with just a minute to go. The away keeper who had been in fine form then had a 90 seconds to forget. First he let a simple shot squirm under his body and then with the last kick of the game Boston took the lead for the first time in the game when he was beaten with ease at his far post. Just a shame there was only 55 people there to see it along with me.
An England game? Are you mad? Good old London Underground did their best to ruin the evening by delaying every possible route to Wembley and we didn’t get into the stadium until well into the first half but fortunately all the action was reserved for the final 33 minutes. The Dutch showed their sheer class with three outstanding goals, whilst the English showed some true grit. This was supposed to be the game that welcomed ‘Appy ‘Arry but a week is a long time in football, whilst a minute can sometimes be even longer as we saw in the 90th minute of this game when Ashley Young equalised for England then with the very next attack Robben curled an absolute peach into the top corner. If all England games at Wembley were half as exciting they would be sold out every time.
Olympic football in Manchester wasn’t supposed to get the general public on the edge of their seats, but the 60,000 who witnessed this warm up game to Brazil v Belarus on a sunny, but bloody cold day in late July saw one of the best games of football in decades. Sure, there was only two goals but it simply was end to end action for 90 minutes. Both, yet neither team deserved to win due to their attacking intent and last gasp defending. Both keepers were heroes and to a man we all rose to applaud their efforts when they finished doing battle after an hour and a half. Brazil may have been billed as the stars, but the extras but on an Oscar performance.
Before anyone lays into me about the difficulties in trying to run a non league club I know full well the reliance on volunteers. But there are some basics that any club could do to make a ground more appealling. Clearing dangerous thorns out of the eye line of fans walking around the ground, ensuring that exits are blocked with rubbish, covering up scaffolding poles. Just really basic things. Of course it is possible that my visit in pre-season was before this work was done, but these things left me cold. Sorry.
Again, no disrespect to any club officials but it is really hard to love any ground with an athletics track but one where attendances rarely break the 50 mark makes it feel so much worse. Non League football in East London struggles at the best of times, and I have ultimate sympathy for the clubs trying to fight against the big boys but without something to attract the floating fans it is hard to see how that magic spark of non league love can be spread. Sorry (again).
Last year I received a deluge of website visitors from Poland as I waxed lyrical about the atmosphere in the Polish Army Stadium, home to Legia Warsaw. Unfortunately 12 months later the only thing I am writing about Warsaw is about the new National stadium and how bad it was. Of course my judgement may have been clouded by a small issue of the failure of one individual to close the bloody roof. But as it is, that trip to Poland cost me two days annual leave, around £200 and an iPhone. Just because one person decided not to press the button that closed the roof. I’m sure it is a great stadium but my impression, and that of a few thousands England fans who were similarly affected, is that it is the worst new stadium we visited in 2012.
