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Well, he obviously wasn't talented. The only thing he was really good at was kicking the ball, which led him on to a good shot, corners and free kicks. He didn't have any technique or pace. His skill was very limited when it came to some of the basic things in football (i.e. tackling, headers). The England team back then easily could've done without him.

iTim

13 years

Originally posted by KieranU2:Well, he obviously wasn't talented. The only thing he was really good at was kicking the ball, which led him on to a good shot, corners and free kicks. He didn't have any technique or pace. His skill was very limited when it came to some of the basic things in football (i.e. tackling, headers). The England team back then easily could've done without him.

Didn't have any technique? Don't quite understand that statement. Pace? Yeah, I'll give you that, he wasn't the quicket player but that wasn't at all important and never will be important to Beckham. It's worthwhile remembering the phrase "the ball moves quicker than you do". I could hit a ball 100m faster than Usain Bolt could run it, so it's completely irrelevent unless it's key to your role (striker, attacking winger).

Beckham showed time and time again that he posesses something greater than pace. Pinpoint accuracy. He can easily pick out the attackers from 35+ yards because he has unbelievable vision. When you have the player who is third on the all time Premier League assist table, you're guaranteed goals. He hasn't even played in the Premier League for nearly a decade. You've already highlighted that he excelled in this field by saying he was 'good' (almost unparalleled) at set pieces.

I beg to differ on the tacking point as well, maybe he wasn't a Nesta but again, it's not key to playing right side midfield. The England game against Greece in 2001 is enough evidence of the lengths Beckham would go to to help his side defensively. Heading? I can't see any use for being a good header of the ball either when you play wide midfield.

And to say that the England squad could've done without the player that tops the list of appearances for an outfield player and was the captain for many years is slightly far-fetched.

I'm not having a go at you or going out of my way to defend Beckham but to say he was completely talentless is wrong. At Manchester United he was close to being one of the top players in the game, at Real Madrid he started to slow down in his progress and even more so at LA Galaxy but he is now getting old. That said, he was still a valuable player at both clubs and even at Milan. That's why some of Europe's top teams still want his services.

I'm happy to say that I'm fortunate enough to see him play and his work rate has always been excellent and his contribution to the team has always been excellent.

bartajax

13 years

I agree with Tim but the main reason why some European teams still want him is because of the huge amount of money they can make by selling shirts with the name Beckham on it.

iTim

13 years

Originally posted by bartajax:I agree with Tim but the main reason why some European teams still want him is because of the huge amount of money they can make by selling shirts with the name Beckham on it.

Well absolutely, any team is guaranteed money from his shirt sales, hence why they pay him so much. After all, he's no longer just a player, he's a brand.

patssox95

13 years

I am an American and i cohost a podcast on Itunes, we just did our first SOCCER SHOW (our show is the FU Sports Talk Podcast) . This is my first year following the EPL and UEFA, my favorite EPL team to follow is Fulham and my cohosts is Chelsea, and for UEFA i have really enjoyed the ride Npoli has been on, the soccer show is a bit of an intro to soccer for fans. I would love some feedback on the show and also if anyone has any pointers/info/corrections that would help me follow the game better I would really appreciate it. Thanx, enjoy the show. If you do not have ITunes you can go to urannonline.com and listen to it from our show archive.

MacStripey

13 years

I suck more than ever in the prediction game, let's face it

LikeASong

13 years

Originally posted by MacStripeyI suck more than ever in the prediction game, let's face it

What about me? I'm at the bottom! I don't know if Remy has not counted some of my points or something, but it was really surprising to see me that low...

iTim

13 years

I'm also flagging, I have missed a few rounds though

patou2

13 years

Originally posted by iTim:[..]

Didn't have any technique? Don't quite understand that statement. Pace? Yeah, I'll give you .

....
been excellent and his contribution to the team has always been excellent.

I m with you !! you can like him or not but he is( was) a great player , many years in the United, national team , REal madrid , Milan ... no talent ?

No talent is Lass Diarra ( he is in Real Madrid