Not yet content to call time on his career, David Beckham is proving quite the combatant in his old age. The England midfielder has agreed a three-month loan deal with AC Milan in a bid to win back his place in the England team ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
It had been expected that Beckham would spend the winter months training with Arsenal, having spent an extended period at their London Colney base at the beginning of last year. However, these plans were abandoned when it emerged that AC Milan were interested in signing him on a unique short-term deal. Crucially, this meant that Beckham would not just train, but play competitively as a full-term member of the first-team squad.
In principle, this looks like a very good move for both Beckham and Milan. Winter in England coincides with the close-season in America’s MLS (Major League Soccer), allowing Beckham to benefit from playing with and against top level footballers, thus, maintaining his competitiveness in the process. In return, Milan will benefit from having another world-class player available for selection, as well as the inevitable commercial advantages that association with Beckham brings.
In this sense, one might be cynical about Milan’s commercial motives: Beckham’s long-standing sponsor, Adidas, just happens to be Milan’s kit supplier and the club’s recent transfer policy under (President) Silvio Berlusconi has seen a large number of high-profile players join the club. Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Shevchenko and now Beckham have all moved to the San Siro in the past year – resembling something similar to that of Florentino Perez’s Galactico era at Real Madrid.
That said, one can have little doubt about the genuine sporting motivation on the part of the player. It is widely accepted that Beckham should never have moved to America in the first place given the low standard of football in the MLS and – although publicly declaring himself happy – Beckham has conceded that his move to LA was, in part, decided by the fact that he believed his England career was over. With the 2010 World Cup in South Africa approaching – and Beckham a genuine contender to win back his place in the England team – a move to AC Milan represents one final opportunity to prove himself at the highest level.
In terms of style of football, it is clear to see how Beckham might be a success at an Italian club – so much so that I wonder if it was a mistake not to come to Italy sooner. The speed of the Italian game is certainly suited to him (tactical focus, patient and possession-orientated passing etc.) However, in Ronaldinho, Pirlo, Gattuso, Ambrosini, Kaka, Seedorf and Emerson the Italian club already have many good midfielders, to the extent that is hard to imagine where Beckham might fit in…
My personal belief is that Beckham could use his time in Italy to reinvent himself as a deep-lying playmaker in a role similar to that of his new team-mate, Andrea Pirlo. In this ‘quarterback’ role, his primary responsibility would be to take the ball off the defence to initiate attacks, operating just in front of the defenders and distributing from deep in his own territory. He would then have a second defensive midfielder next to him whose role would be more focused on off-the-ball duties. In theory, the role would be less physically demanding than right-midfield but would still allow Beckham to express himself creatively and dominate games as he does – he would also, typically, be granted more time on the ball which would suit a player of his passing style and ability.
Such a system is, of course, already in operation at Milan (with Andrea Pirlo playing alongside either Gattuso, Amrosini or both) but what is intriguing is the fact that the England manager, Fabio Capello, seems to intend for the national team to play this way. Capello actually tried Beckham in this position for Real Madrid and, although it was not considered a particular success, I think it worked well and has the potential to work well in the future.
Another aspect of the Italian game that may prove beneficial to Beckham – this time specifically relating to AC Milan – is that the club have a history of building a successful team around older players. The club’s captain, Paolo Maldini, is 40 and a large proportion of Milan’s squad are well into their thirties. But what is the secret to Milan’s high level of success amongst an older group of players? To many, the answer lies in the club’s state-of-the-art Milanello facilities and a scientific approach to training known as the ‘Milan Lab’. Based just outside of Milan, Milanelllo is a highly technologically-advanced centre for sport where attention to detail means that there are such facilities as a caged pitch – built with the intention to never let the ball go out of play, thus, improving the speed of passing and execution – and even a specially-designed high-altitude path which intends to aid player recovery at a superior rate than normal.
There is a good summary of the set-up at Milanello by a man called Mike Forde, who worked alongside Sam Allardyce as Bolton Wanderers' performance director a number of years ago. Forde describes the philosophy at Milanello in the following way: “The biggest element is a belief in treating the players individually – not just physically but mentally and emotionally. They've invested well in their facilities, obviously, but there's a cerebral process going on there. The key to it is that each player undergoes a screening process on a daily basis – biomechanically, neurologically, and so on”. Clearly such an approach would favour a player like Beckham, especially considering his age.
With a structure such as this in place, it is clear to see how Beckham might have been tempted to join Milan. However, it is worth noting that, from a political perspective, there were a number of complications which had put the transfer in doubt. Most notably was the happiness of the third-party, LA Galaxy. When Beckham joined LA Galaxy, he entered into more than just a financial or contractual commitment with a club. For a start, unlike in Europe, where clubs are run independently, the MLS franchise owns and largely controls all of its club members. This essentially means Beckham is owned by MLS (the equivalent of Cristiano Ronaldo being owned by the Premier League, as opposed to being owned by Manchester United). Needless to say, the league made a huge investment in Beckham – his contract at Galaxy reportedly costs $1m a week, consisting of a basic wage, club sponsorship and image rights (but still not including personal endorsements) – they even named a new law after him (entitled the ‘Beckham rule’) which essentially stated that one-off exceptions to the existing salary-cap can be made so long as the league sees it feasible and beneficial to the long-term state of soccer in America. In this respect, a key part of his agreement to join the league was that he works, not just as a player, but as an ambassador for MLS and as part of a project to increase public interest in the sport. As a result, Beckham needed to be diplomatic in the way he engineered a move to Milan so as not to negatively endorse MLS – this has, at least so far, been handled well.
Having chosen Milan, it is interesting to consider what other options were open to Beckham. Most intriguingly, I wonder whether it would have been possible for Beckham to engineer a short-term move to Arsenal instead. Arsene Wenger has often spoken of his respect for Beckham – he once even suggested Beckham fund his own move to Arsenal, albeit half-jokingly – and I think it is fair to assume that Beckham’s presence and experience amongst Wenger’s young squad would prove comparatively more beneficial to Arsenal than it would be to Milan. In this sense, I think the only question here would have been about money.
Indeed, one clear and fundamental difference between Milan and Arsenal exists in their transfer policy and relative budget. In his time in charge of Arsenal, Wenger has introduced and developed a bracketed wage structure that limits the amount the club will spend on its players’ salaries. Part of this structure means Arsenal refuse to offer long-term deals to players over the age of 30, and Wenger has typically proved reluctant to buy older players. This has much to do with Wenger’s commitment to buying and developing younger players. In contrast, the aristocracy at Milan have a history of buying established and often high-profile names, as mentioned earlier.
There would also be a number of personal benefits for Beckham in joining Arsenal, such as the language barrier and the fact that being in London would allow him the flexibility to fulfil other commitments (from his academy in Greenwich, to his sponsors, to leveraging his role in the London 2012 Olympic programme, to being near his family home etc.) That said, I would not be surprised if Beckham has become so cynical of the English press and public that he considered a move back to the Premier League too much of a risk to his reputation (plus there is the risk of alienating Manchester United fans etc.)
Nevertheless, Beckham has made his decision and there is little point in pondering what might have been. Time will tell if he succeeds at Milan – at very least he will benefit from the training, although I think it would be wasteful for the club not to make use of such a unique player. My perception is that Italy is a very good choice for Beckham, but I believe he needs to engineer a permanent move if he is to fully benefit from the set-up at Milan – something I fear may prove impossible given his extensive commitments in LA.
It had been expected that Beckham would spend the winter months training with Arsenal, having spent an extended period at their London Colney base at the beginning of last year. However, these plans were abandoned when it emerged that AC Milan were interested in signing him on a unique short-term deal. Crucially, this meant that Beckham would not just train, but play competitively as a full-term member of the first-team squad.
In principle, this looks like a very good move for both Beckham and Milan. Winter in England coincides with the close-season in America’s MLS (Major League Soccer), allowing Beckham to benefit from playing with and against top level footballers, thus, maintaining his competitiveness in the process. In return, Milan will benefit from having another world-class player available for selection, as well as the inevitable commercial advantages that association with Beckham brings.
In this sense, one might be cynical about Milan’s commercial motives: Beckham’s long-standing sponsor, Adidas, just happens to be Milan’s kit supplier and the club’s recent transfer policy under (President) Silvio Berlusconi has seen a large number of high-profile players join the club. Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Shevchenko and now Beckham have all moved to the San Siro in the past year – resembling something similar to that of Florentino Perez’s Galactico era at Real Madrid.
That said, one can have little doubt about the genuine sporting motivation on the part of the player. It is widely accepted that Beckham should never have moved to America in the first place given the low standard of football in the MLS and – although publicly declaring himself happy – Beckham has conceded that his move to LA was, in part, decided by the fact that he believed his England career was over. With the 2010 World Cup in South Africa approaching – and Beckham a genuine contender to win back his place in the England team – a move to AC Milan represents one final opportunity to prove himself at the highest level.
In terms of style of football, it is clear to see how Beckham might be a success at an Italian club – so much so that I wonder if it was a mistake not to come to Italy sooner. The speed of the Italian game is certainly suited to him (tactical focus, patient and possession-orientated passing etc.) However, in Ronaldinho, Pirlo, Gattuso, Ambrosini, Kaka, Seedorf and Emerson the Italian club already have many good midfielders, to the extent that is hard to imagine where Beckham might fit in…
My personal belief is that Beckham could use his time in Italy to reinvent himself as a deep-lying playmaker in a role similar to that of his new team-mate, Andrea Pirlo. In this ‘quarterback’ role, his primary responsibility would be to take the ball off the defence to initiate attacks, operating just in front of the defenders and distributing from deep in his own territory. He would then have a second defensive midfielder next to him whose role would be more focused on off-the-ball duties. In theory, the role would be less physically demanding than right-midfield but would still allow Beckham to express himself creatively and dominate games as he does – he would also, typically, be granted more time on the ball which would suit a player of his passing style and ability.
Such a system is, of course, already in operation at Milan (with Andrea Pirlo playing alongside either Gattuso, Amrosini or both) but what is intriguing is the fact that the England manager, Fabio Capello, seems to intend for the national team to play this way. Capello actually tried Beckham in this position for Real Madrid and, although it was not considered a particular success, I think it worked well and has the potential to work well in the future.
Another aspect of the Italian game that may prove beneficial to Beckham – this time specifically relating to AC Milan – is that the club have a history of building a successful team around older players. The club’s captain, Paolo Maldini, is 40 and a large proportion of Milan’s squad are well into their thirties. But what is the secret to Milan’s high level of success amongst an older group of players? To many, the answer lies in the club’s state-of-the-art Milanello facilities and a scientific approach to training known as the ‘Milan Lab’. Based just outside of Milan, Milanelllo is a highly technologically-advanced centre for sport where attention to detail means that there are such facilities as a caged pitch – built with the intention to never let the ball go out of play, thus, improving the speed of passing and execution – and even a specially-designed high-altitude path which intends to aid player recovery at a superior rate than normal.
There is a good summary of the set-up at Milanello by a man called Mike Forde, who worked alongside Sam Allardyce as Bolton Wanderers' performance director a number of years ago. Forde describes the philosophy at Milanello in the following way: “The biggest element is a belief in treating the players individually – not just physically but mentally and emotionally. They've invested well in their facilities, obviously, but there's a cerebral process going on there. The key to it is that each player undergoes a screening process on a daily basis – biomechanically, neurologically, and so on”. Clearly such an approach would favour a player like Beckham, especially considering his age.
With a structure such as this in place, it is clear to see how Beckham might have been tempted to join Milan. However, it is worth noting that, from a political perspective, there were a number of complications which had put the transfer in doubt. Most notably was the happiness of the third-party, LA Galaxy. When Beckham joined LA Galaxy, he entered into more than just a financial or contractual commitment with a club. For a start, unlike in Europe, where clubs are run independently, the MLS franchise owns and largely controls all of its club members. This essentially means Beckham is owned by MLS (the equivalent of Cristiano Ronaldo being owned by the Premier League, as opposed to being owned by Manchester United). Needless to say, the league made a huge investment in Beckham – his contract at Galaxy reportedly costs $1m a week, consisting of a basic wage, club sponsorship and image rights (but still not including personal endorsements) – they even named a new law after him (entitled the ‘Beckham rule’) which essentially stated that one-off exceptions to the existing salary-cap can be made so long as the league sees it feasible and beneficial to the long-term state of soccer in America. In this respect, a key part of his agreement to join the league was that he works, not just as a player, but as an ambassador for MLS and as part of a project to increase public interest in the sport. As a result, Beckham needed to be diplomatic in the way he engineered a move to Milan so as not to negatively endorse MLS – this has, at least so far, been handled well.
Having chosen Milan, it is interesting to consider what other options were open to Beckham. Most intriguingly, I wonder whether it would have been possible for Beckham to engineer a short-term move to Arsenal instead. Arsene Wenger has often spoken of his respect for Beckham – he once even suggested Beckham fund his own move to Arsenal, albeit half-jokingly – and I think it is fair to assume that Beckham’s presence and experience amongst Wenger’s young squad would prove comparatively more beneficial to Arsenal than it would be to Milan. In this sense, I think the only question here would have been about money.
Indeed, one clear and fundamental difference between Milan and Arsenal exists in their transfer policy and relative budget. In his time in charge of Arsenal, Wenger has introduced and developed a bracketed wage structure that limits the amount the club will spend on its players’ salaries. Part of this structure means Arsenal refuse to offer long-term deals to players over the age of 30, and Wenger has typically proved reluctant to buy older players. This has much to do with Wenger’s commitment to buying and developing younger players. In contrast, the aristocracy at Milan have a history of buying established and often high-profile names, as mentioned earlier.
There would also be a number of personal benefits for Beckham in joining Arsenal, such as the language barrier and the fact that being in London would allow him the flexibility to fulfil other commitments (from his academy in Greenwich, to his sponsors, to leveraging his role in the London 2012 Olympic programme, to being near his family home etc.) That said, I would not be surprised if Beckham has become so cynical of the English press and public that he considered a move back to the Premier League too much of a risk to his reputation (plus there is the risk of alienating Manchester United fans etc.)
Nevertheless, Beckham has made his decision and there is little point in pondering what might have been. Time will tell if he succeeds at Milan – at very least he will benefit from the training, although I think it would be wasteful for the club not to make use of such a unique player. My perception is that Italy is a very good choice for Beckham, but I believe he needs to engineer a permanent move if he is to fully benefit from the set-up at Milan – something I fear may prove impossible given his extensive commitments in LA.
2 comments:
I read this after clicking from your comment on ESPN. This is a really thoughtful piece of writing. As a Los Angeles resident and Galaxy fan, I had originally worried Beckham's departure from Milan would be permanent. Now I have trouble seeing him coming back, though. I feel like this trip to Milan - temporary or not - has disenchanted a lot of MLS fans.
It is certainly intriguing to hear what you say about the negative impact this move has had on public opinion amongst MLS and LA Galaxy supporters. It will be interesting to see how this position develops over the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, thanks for reading and thanks very much for your positive feedback, it is greatly appreciated.
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