David Beckham
U.S. Major League Soccer, sad to say, represents oblivion for a star of the international game — even most of the players on Team USA are signed to pro teams in Europe once they've done enough to attract the attention of foreign scouts. And David Beckham clearly wasn't ready for oblivion. The 33-year-old England wide man, who in 2007 joined the Los Angeles Galaxy on a $250 million five-year contract, looks set to return to Europe, next January, and join glamor club AC Milan on loan. If the deal is finalized in the wake of Milan's premature announcement Wednesday, it would mark an essential step in Beckham's bid to reclaim his place in the England squad ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
These days the former Manchester United star rates only the occasional cameo appearance as a substitute, with his starter berth given over to the fleet-footed teenager Theo Walcott. Beckham's past glory — and maritial status as a Spice Dude — notwithstandiing, England coach Fabio Capello has made clear that reputation counts for nothing in his selections; he warns he'll only pick players at the top of their game, testing their skills week in and week out in the world's strongest league. Remaining in Los Angeles would leave Beckham unlikely to make the cut for England's 24-man squad in 2010.
When Beckham renounced his status as a "Galactico" on Real Madrid's star-studded roster and headed for California, the big-money move was widely interpreted as a kind of golden parachute into retirement, bringing a touch of glamor and skill to a lower-tier league in which he could dominate. But the move to Milan, European champions just two years ago whose star-studded lineup includes the likes of the Brazilians Kaka and Ronaldino, suggests a restored ambition to return to the premier stage of the global game.
Milan's interest in Beckham isn't new. Meanwhile, the team, owned by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, narrowly missed signing him before he committed to Los Angeles. And their interest in Beckham may not be simply for his ability to cross a ball from the right and bend a free kick: His global celebrity appeal has been proven to sell millions of replica jerseys all over the world for his previous European clubs, and signing him clearly had as much to do with marketing as with his skills.
"Soccer today is not just about tactics and technical abilities," Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani told the daily Corriere Della Sera. "It's about full stadiums and sponsors. Our squad is ultra-competitive and it will remain this way, but Beckham is something different and intriguing."
Of course, the highly unusual free loan arrangement leaves open the possibility that Beckham is simply going to Milan to keep in shape through the European winter by training with a top club, and keeping his England prospects alive. (He spent last year's MLS off-season training with England's Arsenal.) But Milan is hyping the arrival of its new recruit, and suggests it could buy out the remainder of Beckham's contract with L.A. The chance of that happening, however, if highly improbable, given the money required and Beckham's own declining play. Galaxy coach Bruce Arena opposes even a loan deal, noting it would both fatigue one of his best (and oldest) players, and keep him away from L.A. well after the 2009 season begins.
Whether or not the aging star manages to restore his place in the England lineup — and collects two more caps with his national side to establish a new outfield record of 108 — many fans around the globe whose aging backs and knees ache nearly as bad as Beckham's do will take inspiration from watching him try.
(Click here to see David Beckham in a Top 10 Sports Moments special package.)