Good ole Becks

[rach 1]

Lot of people said he wouldn't be able to cut it in Madrid, but he's not doing so bad hey?

 

http://football.guardian.co.uk/continental/story/0,8018,1046532,00.html

[scouser 4]

Good on him - and if all this makes for a better England team too, then I'm well pleased.

[Ocean11 0]

That's great. I love this critique;

 

'Beyond the ad campaigns, the dyed hair, the changes of look, the premature autobiography and the famous singing dog of a wife, the Englishman is making it plain that he is also a quite fabulous football player.'

 

"The Englishman"... priceless. The paragraph springs to mind whole in some Romance language 'la femme chienne chanteuse celebre'...

 

What a terrible gaffe to have produced a premature autobiography, mon Dieu.

[scouser 4]

I had a bit of a chuckle when I read that too

[MrBing 0]

It seems he's doing really well:

 

In midweek, footy boffins, as The Sun called them, named Beckham statistically the best footballer in La Liga - and at the Rosaleda last night He cemented that position, completing more passes than anyone else, providing the corner for the opener, scoring an excellent free kick, and sparking the break that led to Guti adding a third as Madrid defeated Malaga 3-1.

 

Beckham's 100th professional goal came mid-way through the second half. The free kick seemed set up for the monstrous, jamon serrano-like left leg of Roberto Carlos to attempt to maim some innocent victims in the crowd or ruin the reproductive future of five fearful footballers. Instead, Beckham nudged to Luis Figo, who stopped the ball for the England captain to strike home a cleverly disguised version of what Marca called a "perfect banana, made in Beckham". (Well, at least they're no longer opting for the plain odd "sausages, as they say in England".)

 

The goal suddenly opened up the match. Málaga's Edgar scored a sensational overhead kick to make it 2-1 and Guti made it 3-1 finishing a move that He began with two snappy passes to get out of trouble deep in His own half. Yet, until the last fifteen minutes, it was more bruising than brilliant - and Beckham again demonstrated that, in fact, His more terrestrial qualities could prove just as valuable to the galácticos. Determined not be crushed like the suicidally bland Valladolid, Malaga were aggressive, launching into tackles, desperate to prevent Madrid settling - and that included Becks, the victim of a number of crunching tackles.

 

Not that He flinched (although He did fly theatrically through the air once) and His battling was vital as Madrid rode the early second half storm. It may not have been glamorous but Madrid traditionally lose games like this (although they never, ever get beaten by Málaga) and Becks has given them the aggression, directness, dead-ball threat and long passing they sorely lacked.

 

No wonder the press have continued going loopy, with Becks getting another (deserved) Man of the Match award in AS and Marca's Roberto Palomar cooing at his "Crazy Leg, an add-on that seems to have a life of its own beyond the rest of his body".

 

About the only columnist not joining the kissing queue is TVE commentator and ex-Madrid winger Michel, hopefully still choking on his now traditional "patriotic" tirade against English football, when he complained: "Beckham can't adapt to the Iberian pace, passion, pressure - or greatness." Funnily enough, Míchel's keeping silent these days. And like Aimar in the Calderón, it's a blessed relief.

[BagOfCrisps 24]

The naysayers are rather quiet right now. But he does seem to be doing really well and providing real value to the team - although I've not seen the games myself.