yeah, top teams in the modern game don't really cross anymore
David Beckham the player
- Thread starter Mr.Ridiculous__
- Start date
It's higher risk pass, and teams look for the low risk pass to keep possession. But it's not quite so high risk when it's a ping off of Beckham's right foot.
What's also forgotten is we struggled as a team after Beckham left, we didn't create as many chances and Van Nistelrooy didn't have the supply line. We didn't win the league again until Rooney and Ronaldo matured.
Just watched the highlights of all the 99 CL games. Felt like Becks assisted or scored two thirds of the goals we scored throughout that campaign.
From what I gather, Beckham was overrated, according to some, in the sense that he started reaching the zenith of his worldwide fame as a larger-then-life figure around the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan — a lot of casual football watchers who didn't necessarily follow him religiously in his actual peak as a footballer (particularly with United from 1998-2001) associate him more with that tournament, the 2002/03 season with United where he flickered (most prominently in that match vs. Madrid) but wasn't as great as in the past and portrayed as a prima donna who got booted by Fergie, followed by the Galáctico period with Madrid and the Globetrotter stint with Galaxy — when he started waning as a genuinely world-class performer, showed some lazy tendencies, and was obviously far removed from the man who was one of the best passers/creators and set piece takers in football, THE best crosser without a doubt, and an inspired figure through the Treble season (on top of being a workhorse). I've seen some call Baggio quite overrated, too — and for fairly similar reasons in that he reached the peak of his célébrité in 1994 with an exceptional tournament (attracting loads of new admirers who didn't watch him with Juventus and Fiorentina in the past) but was upstaged by young Del Piero at Juventus under Lippi, and then became a wanderer who still enthralled and evidenced his class from time to time, but was no longer “peak Baggio” from the late '80s and early '90s.
Never had the pleasure of watching beckham play when I was younger. But I was smiling and nearly tearing up when he scored. You could tell that goal meant a lot to him and the fans especially. The place erupted. And seeing SAF again in the hotseat
That’s absolute tosh. In his prime, 98-02 he was the best player in that midfield by a good margin. Only one voted in the top 3 for WPOTY and rightfully so.
Our best player in the treble season, massive goals in such important games vs. Arsenal (semi) & Spurs (final game).
Just watch his last 15 minutes in the CL final and drool, what fight, what a player, got us back into that final like no other.
He did.
He’s not spoken about anywhere near as much for his footballing talents as Giggs, Scholes, Keane or other United legends.
Forced a move from United, went to Madrid where he was benched and effectively retired from the top level game age 30.
Great footballer and certainly a legend for us. God, I miss them days. I was thinking the same about Rooney the other day. One of my favourite players who was taken for granted towards the end. How much we would love a player like him now.
the best crosser of all time, the best set piece taker of all time.
Scholes was the most talented of that generation. Easily.
Giggs was winning player of the year in the Prem about four years after Beckham had gone to live in LA.
Personally for me think that Keane was a lot better. In my memory he was unbeatable.
Trainwreck post!He played for Utd, Real up to the age of 32...went to US to help crack the market when he thought no one wanted him and was offered a £125m deal at that age over 12 years ago. Came back to Milan for 2 years and still produced and then came back to PSG and retired at 35.
He did enough by 32 to retire for most people.
His focus definitely shifted from Utd to England around 2001/2 whether intentionally or otherwise, probably partly due to the captaincy and partly the massive groundswell of positive feeling toward him across the country after the Greece game after years of scapegoating.
Scholes was often benched during Becks prime, benched for Nicky Butt.
Becks was never benched, unbelievable player in his prime.
Inverted wingers has see a large reduction in crossing and that type of cut and thrust attack. Sadly I miss it. One of my favourite elements of football for me.
Nah, relating to United he's quite some distance behind Stevie Coppell.
He was always about the brand. Today was all about the brand. The difference between him and our current crop is that Beckham has the pride and drive for that brand to be something more than a hairstyle. His brand is sporting greatness.
He did the training, put in a proper shift and was the star of the show today. It’s what he always did. A great day for Brand Beckham.
He did the training, put in a proper shift and was the star of the show today. It’s what he always did. A great day for Brand Beckham.
Scholes is clearly a better player than Beckham. Scholes is unparalleled.
He played for Utd, Real up to the age of 32...went to US to help crack the market when he thought no one wanted him and was offered a £125m deal at that age over 12 years ago. Came back to Milan for 2 years and still produced and then came back to PSG and retired at 35.
He did enough by 32 to retire for most people.
“Thought that no one wanted him”! Come on! He knew exactly why he went to Los Angeles. He wanted to be a celebrity.
This is a player who orchestrated a move away from United. A player who once refused to train without a hat as he was waiting to unveil his new haircut.
He was a great player, but his footballing prowess and circumstances of him leaving United mean for me he’s not as fondly thought of as others of his generation.
My most favourite United player of all time
I cried when we sold him
I cried when we sold him
Given the abuse he suffered after "that incident in 1998 you have to give him great credit as a person with great mental strength and drive.
I'm sure I read somewhere that he tried out for utd and was told by Charlton to work on his first touch. Went home and used to practised kick ups to impress Bobby. Not sure how true that is but may be some one can confirm.
Haha, Coppell gets massively overrated by United fans due to the shiteness of our side back them.
Beckham’s the best crosser in the history of the game.
Beckham was a great player no doubt. Loved the club, absolutely loved the club. He could do it all, passing, crossing, free kicks, goals, his stamina was incredible on the right hand side. Eventually his focus dipped a little with the brand Beckham and showbiz, and SAF made the decision to replace him with Ronaldo. He is a legend at Utd no doubt. Should have had the same career as Giggs and Scholes there easily.
There were times he was benched but I think that was linked to his off field status rather than ability. Ole, in fact, used to play wide right ahead of Beckham in Beckham's final season.
Steve coppell was before my time but duly noted. Becks is the best I’ve seen since the 90s.
By you maybe, but as you can see here, many of us disagree.
My old man and his mates adore Beckham, season ticket holders since the 70’s.
His celebrity and stature off the pitch kind of masked the fact he was a brilliant footballer
Nonsense. He was benched because he wasn’t in his prime as a midfielder until 2005, until then Butt was often a better option.
Ole played instead of Becks because the relationship between player & manager had broken down, as you well know.
Yeah I’m not saying anyone is wrong. But, just like Rooney he annoyed a lot of people with his escapades when he was at the club.
The change in perception of Scholes over the space of a few years was massive. I can remember questions of if he could even do it as a top midfielder without Keane beside him.
A lot? The reception Becks has received every single time he’s returned says that is the minority, without any doubt.
Maybe im misunderstanding what your trying to say here, but what has scholes and Keane's selection got to do with beckham?
He’s also wrong about Scholes always being first choice in CM.
Scholes had a later prime (after the treble, then being moved and dropped for Veron etc), around 2005>. What a player he was then for a few years though!
Scholes didn't hit his peak until quite a few years after the rest of that generation. It wasn't until around 02 or 03 that he came into his own and overtook Beckham (who was dropping away from his peak at the time). Becks was easily ahead of Scholes (and Giggs) during the 99-01 years.
Scholes and Giggs were obviously better when taking their careers as a whole, but Beckham has a strong claim to have had a higher peak than either. He's the only one who was truly competing to be the best player in the world for a couple of seasons.
Beckham was a bit like Steven Gerrard for me. He did a lot of dramatic looking stuff, sweeping crossfield balls, brilliant crosses, spectacular free-kicks, but he couldn't do what David Silva does - make a simple but clinical pass in the final third. That's why England have struggled on the international stage for so long, because we don't produce players with that skillset.
God, I miss the days of Beckham and co. I was a kid during that era and those years were just genuinely brilliant. Beckham was a tremendous footballer and his work ethic was insane. Thinking back to that era for us makes me hate so much what this club has become.
I love that famous George Best quote on him. It's pretty accurate.
"He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that he's all right."
We should implant his right leg into Young (or into anybody).
"He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that he's all right."
We should implant his right leg into Young (or into anybody).
Not sure he forced a move as much as was forced out. And if the wally with a brolly hadn't decided to bin him from the national team he would have stayed in europe. He pretty much has said as much.
Beckham cared about two things in football. United and england. Once he had england taken away he went to america and why not? It was a shame really but i understand why he did it.
Can't believe some on here who has the audacity to say anything negative about Beckham. Guy was utd through and through, true legend who had the work rate that would put a lot of this current crop to shame. De Bruyne is the only one at close 2nd to him in terms of style of play, passing and crossing.
And then you see Lingard and rashford at the match, and you think to yourself, how depressing.
And then you see Lingard and rashford at the match, and you think to yourself, how depressing.
The only reason he's not picked at RW for every single Manchester United all time XI is because Ronaldo is a freak of nature who is arguably the greatest player of all time.
Beckham had an immense passing rate, incredible accuracy, superb vision, perfect deadball ability, was the best crosser ever (arguably), excellent work rate and good footballing intelligence.
His only weaknesses:
1. His left foot was for standing on only. Consider how immense his right foot was though.
2. He wasn't very quick. He wasn't slow, but he wasn't the fastest player on the pitch. He could beat a man, but he wasn't going to dribble past 4 or 5. He didn't need to. He could pass from anywhere to anyone.
3. His celebrity was so high, it overshadowed his footballing abilities, but never his performances. There isn't anyone like it today. Ronaldo, Neymar maybe? Idk what thier hype is like in Brazil and Portugal but Beckham was a sporting icon.
Beckham had an immense passing rate, incredible accuracy, superb vision, perfect deadball ability, was the best crosser ever (arguably), excellent work rate and good footballing intelligence.
His only weaknesses:
1. His left foot was for standing on only. Consider how immense his right foot was though.
2. He wasn't very quick. He wasn't slow, but he wasn't the fastest player on the pitch. He could beat a man, but he wasn't going to dribble past 4 or 5. He didn't need to. He could pass from anywhere to anyone.
3. His celebrity was so high, it overshadowed his footballing abilities, but never his performances. There isn't anyone like it today. Ronaldo, Neymar maybe? Idk what thier hype is like in Brazil and Portugal but Beckham was a sporting icon.