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The popularity David Beckham enjoys is more in keeping with his standing as a celebrity than his ability as a soccer player, a phenomenon in the marketing world but nothing more than an average footballer. In reality, David Beckham's standing as a soccer player, is more high profile than his ability merits thanks to his off-field persona and his popularity within the advertising world.

Most soccer aficionados when asked to compile a list of the top 100 soccer players of all time would not include Beckham, considering him an ordinary, run-of-the-mill footballer who has a special talent with the dead ball. In soccer terms, David Beckham cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Pele, Maradona, Best, Puskas, Di Stefano and Cruyff, not to mention a multitude of modern players who have far superior talent to Beckham.

ABILITY
Beckham was one of Alex Ferguson's "kids" at Manchester United, who enjoyed a glorious period success as the dominant team in England, with Beckham playing his part. He was an integral part of that team but by no means, the best of the bunch. He proved to have a special ability to take free kicks, scoring regularly with swerving, dipping strikes that left goalkeepers floundering.

When Beckham decided to marry Spice Girl Victoria, he became a target for advertising, the Paparazzi and tabloid newspapers, raising his public profile way beyond his expectations as a good, but average footballer. The result was that David Beckham was often seen more on the front pages of newspapers rather than the back pages with the rest of the sport.

As a public figure, David Beckham has been both hero and zero in the eyes of the British public. His popularity hit rock-bottom when he was sent off against Argentina in the Quarter-Final of the World Cup for a petulant foul, a situation made worse when England lost the match having been reduced to ten men. Beckham was the scapegoat and according to the tabloids was responsible for England's demise.

ROLE MODEL
A few years later, Beckham was the hero when he scored a last gasp winner against Greece, with one of his specialty free kicks, to give England their ticket to the World Cup Finals. Apart from some tabloid reports of Beckham cheating on his wife while playing in Spain with Real Madrid, he has in the main, become a role model for football fans and fathers alike and has maintained a positive public persona.

Beckham has become a bigger celebrity in recent years with his move to LA Galaxy on a multi-million dollar contract. Hailed as the savior of Major League Soccer, he is nearing the end of his playing career, still hopeful of playing a role in the England national team in spite of playing far from home. If Beckham has any role in saving Major League Soccer, it will be due completely to his standing as a celebrity and not his ability to play the game.

The fact is that David Beckham is fast approaching the end of his playing career, a dynamic we find common in professional soccer in the USA, as personalities are brought in to finish their careers while at the same time giving the game in America a bit of needed publicity. Beckham may well be a phenomenon in world soccer but this is due mainly to his standing as a celebrity and in no way reflects on his ability to play the game of soccer, which in his case, is average.

Learn more about this author, JC Campbell.
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