Team GB kick off their Olympic campaign this evening against Senegal, with supporters of a more hopeful nature confident that success is not beyond us. Considering our first two games have yielded two defeats (to Mexico and Brazil), it's fair to say that such optimism is not likely to be shared by many more than the optimistic minority. Instead, most of us seem more concerned with who isn't participating in the Games rather than the players that have been assigned with securing gold for Great Britain. And no, I'm not talking about Gareth Bale...
David Beckham is a rare breed of footballer, one who is shrouded in so much mythos and adulation that his footballing ability is seldom discussed and on the few occasions when it is it's often the subject of grandiose exaggeration. This is because Beckham, like Bobby Moore before him, has become synonymous with British, or more precisely English, football. This is not to say that Beckham or Moore were never great players, they of course were. But their status amongst supporters across the nation is so firmly established, for a myriad of reasons, that they are rarely spoken of in a rational manner.
Take, for example, the reaction to Beckham's omission from Team GB. Stuart Pearce has felt the chagrin of a nation that had set their hearts on seeing Beckham compete in one last international tournament. They felt that after all his efforts to help us secure the Olympic games-a few handshakes here and there, photos with various delegates and autographs for their children-that 'Goldenballs' should have been the first name on Pearce's squad. Since news of Beckham's exclusion broke, the more technically adept of the disgruntled masses have taken to YouTube, complying dossiers of evidence that Beckham still has what it takes to merit a place in Team GB. Much of this evidence consists of aesthetically pleasing goals scored for his club side LA Galaxy, mainly his 'wonder strike' in Galaxy's 3-1 win over Portland Timbers. Granted, it was an impressive strike...but it was scored against a team that has thus far accumulated 19 points from 20 games and have already shipped 35 goals, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the 'Eastern Conference' of the MLS. If scoring past the Portland Timbers merited a place on Team GB, then their really would be little room for optimism.
Some of you may take this point and suggest that I am merely castigating Beckham for playing in the MLS, which would be wrong. I can't pertain to have agreed with Beckham's decision to leave Real Madrid for the comforts of Los Angeles, but that is not to say that I believe the MLS to be lacking in quality players. Landon Donovan, Rafael Marquez, Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill are just a few names that provide evidence of the strengths of American football. However, most of these players (Donovan) being the exception are in the twilight period of their careers and were without doubt lured to America by fantastic commercial offers. In this instance, they are no different to Beckham...the difference lies in the fact that none of these players (other than Henry) are anywhere near as marketable as Beckham. There was no great need for the former England captain to join America, a move to a more competitive footballing country would have been just as viable as his move to the Galaxy. The reality was that Beckham could no longer physically compete in a major competition, so he (naturally) accepted a lucrative contract in a less competitive league. I don't blame him for that, not one bit. But let's note hide from this reality...
So, if Beckham wasn't up to it five years ago (2007; when he signed for Galaxy) then why would anyone think he is now? Sentiment appears to be the only straightforward answer. And there is a strong case for sentiment, no doubt. Beckham is a fantastic ambassador for British football who always performed his duties as England captain admirably. Away from the pitch, he is a dedicated family man and an excellent businessman. On top of all that, he appears to be a thoroughly nice bloke too. But there's a lot of businessmen, family men and nice blokes in the world. Should they have been considered by Pearce too? Of course not.
I should point out here that I do not dislike Beckham, nor would I have been especially offended had he been picked for Team GB. Olympic football, for me, isn't anything to get overly excited about. It's a chance to see some emerging talents in world football, but even then most of the 'hot tips' for 2012 are already well established names across the world. I will, of course, watch Team GB, if only to see Ryan Giggs finally get the opportunity to play in an international tournament. Giggs is one year Beckham's senior and would probably have liked to have had his former Manchester United colleague around for the Games. But Giggs, unlike Becks, still plays at the top level and was always better than him anyway. That's where reality bites...
@benrasmin
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