this week, being the slow week that it is, we can all count on 'goldenballs' to perk our week up with either some expose on his personal life or a glimpse of his footballing ability on the pitch. only this time, it is neither.
the papers, in trying its best to splash becks' 128 million pound transfer to LA Galaxy (LA who?), is missing out on the special one's smoldering feuds with the chelski management in west london big time. the latter piece of news is definitely 100x more news-worthy then yet another superstar opting to put himself out to pasture, going for 1 last big payday without any ounce of dignity left in them, which makes you wonder what those who run the media industry have for brains.
But i digress, back to topic proper.
brand beckham in its conquest for world domination, has arrived at its last frontier, the US, the land of basketball and baseball with the occasional golfballs thrown in. so how does a east london chap, who can pass a football 50 yards decently, break this market, you may ask. bearing in mind, one of the best pop music exports england has to offer, namely robbie williams, failed miserably with his newest album which was designed specifically to appeal to american (dis)taste. his marketing people can solve that, hopefully. but i certainly hope it doesnt include beckham to do some stupid things like lending his name to some american fast food chain or something to that effect.
the papers has been going on and on about the financial details of the deal, 500,000 pounds per week for 5 years, full image rights, etc etc. this may sounds cliche but, are we forgetting something very important here, that beckham at the relative young age of 31, has decided to practically give up all his sporting ambitions by crossing the atlantic? pls spare me the official line of ' wanting to bring american soccer to another level' kinda bullshit. its almost akin to insulting our collective intelligence if we were to ever buy it.here we are talking about the england captain at the recent world cup, the right foot that once brought manchester united the treble in 99, the one person who showed extreme courage to face up to the venomous abuse on a national scale in the aftermath of the '98 st ettiene red card. what went on behind the scenes, in the decision to pack it all in and head to the 'other side'?
we might never know, unless of course, the man himself signs another multi million book deal to leave and tell it all. your guess is as good as mine. but i do think he is a victim of his own success, really. an example of a poor rich man in all its glory. may he find what he seeks in the city of angels and thanks for the memories.
