How good was David Beckham?

Played for United, Real Madrid amongst zidane, Figo, R9 Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos etc, AC Milan and PSG. Not bad for a one legged fraud who could only boast nice hair.

In the words of the great man “when ze seagulls follow the forums it is because @hmchan is shitting in the Caf”
 
He was the player that got me into football and Manchester United, Beckham had the right character and work rate to be a game changer time and time again. I always felt a tad more secure when he was playing. The art of crossing died when he retired and his free kicks are to this day the most pleasing on the eye. He was also a very decent goal scorer despite not being lightning fast or having an unstoppable dribble but his long shot was impeccable. The feeling he had in his right foot is unmatched. He was a legend in Manchester, a very respected member of the Galacticos that didn't look out of place among the Ronaldo's, Zidane's and Raul's and played for Milan and PSG, unbelievable career!
 
I think in the modern game he would be a great deep lying playmaker, those assists he use to make from in his own half from central position position, also think he would be a great wing back as well
 
vangagal said:
Stupid post. KdB wish he is as good as Beckham in his prime.
People tend to overrated KdB to underrated Beckham. Mind boggling.
Click to expand...

The post you’re responding to is a stupid post. Prime Beckham would walk into any club or NT side today.

As for KdB, he’s rated spot on, but Beckham was a notch or two better.
 
A terrific, v clever footballer who maximised his talent through v hard work, and a superb attitude.

A brilliant striker of the ball, outstanding set-pieces and a match-winner.

Lost his way when he met Posh and celebrity life. Was never as good after he left Old Trafford.
 
Jeffthered said:
A terrific, v clever footballer who maximised his talent through v hard work, and a superb attitude.

A brilliant striker of the ball, outstanding set-pieces and a match-winner.

Lost his way when he met Posh and celebrity life. Was never as good after he left Old Trafford.
Click to expand...
He met posh in 1996. Hardly lost his way in that moment or in the years afterwards!
 
Jeffthered said:
A terrific, v clever footballer who maximised his talent through v hard work, and a superb attitude.

A brilliant striker of the ball, outstanding set-pieces and a match-winner.

Lost his way when he met Posh and celebrity life. Was never as good after he left Old Trafford.
Click to expand...
Thought he held his own in a very good madrid side
 
Where he would play in the modern game is an interesting thought. Brilliant long passer and chance creator but he was not at that same level with his short passing game. Right side of a 3 man midfield going box to box, especially if you have a good attacking RB who can come infield in that inverted style, could be devastating.

Purely as a RB could be intriguing, he had huge stamina and was actually a very good one v one defender but at the same time I think a bit more dribbling ability is needed. Could carry the ball over distance very well but in tight spaces could struggle.

Think he was the least talented out of Giggs, Scholes and himself but for the things he excelled at he was an at an all time elite level.
 
rest of play more limited to be considered among the great but one of the best crosser/free-kick taker ever in his golden years, which could have lasted a bit longer....
 
KeanoMagicHat said:
He was bad in that role though when he was put there, that job isn’t just playing Hollywood passes it’s as much about setting the tone for the game with short and quick passes and good close control. Didn’t suit Beckham. Roaming centre midfielder on the right of a midfield 3 or attacking right back would suit him best. Was better with room out wide than anywhere else.
Click to expand...

Without hyping his close control too much, he was really hard to dispossess in his prime. Just watch only the first minute to see how well he keeps it under stress.



For me, its not a technical deficiency that he has, but simply the training to play in the DLP position. Knowing when to play short, when to play long. He does have the tendency to smack it long all the time like Bruno, though why not, when you're arguably better than Scholes at doing it. He would also be a really good box-to-box CM these days as many have said.
 
Garethw said:
He was world class.
Click to expand...


Not according to Fergie he wasn't. Alex Ferguson is on record saying he wasn't one of his world class players.

"there were only four who were world class: Cantona, Giggs, Ronaldo and Scholes. "And of the four Cristiano was like an ornament on the top of a Christmas tree."
 
I’m glad there’s so many people who remember what a good player he was. A few people say he was overrated and overhyped but I think the opposite is true. There was a significant amount of brainwashing from jealous media / pundits etc that he was just good at crossing and free kicks. He was much more than that.

He tended not to dribble very often but he absolutely could beat a man or several men by dribbling if he felt like it. He knew the simple rules:
Shoot if you can;
if you can’t shoot, pass to someone who can;
if you can’t do that, pass to somebody in a better position;
if you can’t do that, dribble.

After he went to Madrid he added more tricks to his game. He learned from Zidane and all those guys. He was very much appreciated by his team mates there and played some amazing football. He was far from finished when he left here and was still good enough to play for Milan and PSG in his mid thirties.

Some people just don’t like him but I wouldn’t listen to them. He was top drawer and had a brilliant career, respected the world over for his football ability.
 
OrcaFat said:
I’m glad there’s so many people who remember what a good player he was. A few people say he was overrated and overhyped but I think the opposite is true. There was a significant amount of brainwashing from jealous media / pundits etc that he was just good at crossing and free kicks. He was much more than that.

He tended not to dribble very often but he absolutely could beat a man or several men by dribbling if he felt like it. He knew the simple rules:
Shoot if you can;
if you can’t shoot, pass to someone who can;
if you can’t do that, pass to somebody in a better position;
if you can’t do that, dribble.

After he went to Madrid he added more tricks to his game. He learned from Zidane and all those guys. He was very much appreciated by his team mates there and played some amazing football. He was far from finished when he left here and was still good enough to play for Milan and PSG in his mid thirties.

Some people just don’t like him but I wouldn’t listen to them. He was top drawer and had a brilliant career, respected the world over for his football ability.
Click to expand...
I always had the most faith that he would pull something out the bag for us to win a game over all our other midfieders. As a kid I felt if we needed a goal we should give it to Becks
 
Fergie doesn't get rid of truly great players. I mean look how he stuck by Eric for all the problems he caused. I think Stam is the only one he regrets letting go.
 
In the long, long history of the game there are countless players better as a winger/right midfielder than Beckham. That's not to say that he wasn't a good/great club player. However because of his high profile he will always be mentioned. That's probably why he's seen as overrated. A very good to great club player, there have been many, many better right sided players in the history of the game however.
 
golden_blunder said:
Thought he held his own in a very good madrid side
Click to expand...

He won one La Liga in 4 years there, and they failed to even make a Champions League semi-final, losing in the last 16 3 out of 4 times. By Real Madrid's high standards it wasn't a very good team at all, despite some of the names there. Beckham in particular was an unnecessary Galactico signing and probably the one who tipped them over the edge on the balance of the side working.
 
Love him or hate him, the question I was responding to was whether he could make an impact in the modern game. The answer is without a doubt yes
 
Stacks said:
I always had the most faith that he would pull something out the bag for us to win a game over all our other midfieders. As a kid I felt if we needed a goal we should give it to Becks
Click to expand...
Yeah he was a genuine match winner.
 
I still to this day dont think i’ve seen a better dead ball specialist or someone with such accurate and intelligent long passing.

though, i can see him being on the wing in the modern game but if i recall he had some very good games for us at cm
 
j65454 said:
In the long, long history of the game there are countless players better as a winger/right midfielder than Beckham. That's not to say that he wasn't a good/great club player. However because of his high profile he will always be mentioned. That's probably why he's seen as overrated. A very good to great club player, there have been many, many better right sided players in the history of the game however.
Click to expand...
:o He is and will always be mentioned among the best because of the player he was plus his priceless contributions to the trophies his clubs have won, especially when he was at United.
How many of those “countless/many many” better players have won 6 league titles and 1 CL in 8 years and while doing so have started as many games as he did in that period?
Or how many of those players have finished top 8 in balon d’or in 5 consecutive seasons?
Or how many of those players have scored in 3 consecutive world cups?
I could go on and on. His mentality, team play, work rate, the big/important/crucial goals he scored. But I will let you answer the above 3 questions first.
 
Not just at Utd, but when he came back from the dead in the proper Galactico era to be instrumental in their title win.

When he came back from the dead (MLS), to win a Serie A & French League.

When he came back from the most hated man after 98 to become Goldenballs!

Heart. Desire. Determination. And practice. Beckham didn’t just turn up, he worked for what he became.

He is underrated for me.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: roonster09
SAF played Becks as RM, but Becks trained as a CM in during his time in the academy and even his early games were in the middle, he was a super excellent passer (short, long, through balls, crosses) and very tenacious in the way he played, when he left for Madrid, his reputation preceded him sadly, as Luxomorgo (RM manager) once said, he thought Becks was a celebrity play boy, but from the first training session he realised that Becks was serious athlete who trained extremely well and worked hard and he played him regularly, I think Becks is one for the very few players who gained super fame, due to his looks and marriage to a pop star, but that never impacted his professionalism ever, others would have been lost in his shoes.

But as a footballer, he was absolutely a top class player and his long balls/crosses were unmatched till today, see his assist for Ronaldo in a cup game against Zaragoza and you will know that his ability to bend the ball to his will was unreal
 
j65454 said:
Not according to Fergie he wasn't. Alex Ferguson is on record saying he wasn't one of his world class players.

"there were only four who were world class: Cantona, Giggs, Ronaldo and Scholes. "And of the four Cristiano was like an ornament on the top of a Christmas tree."
Click to expand...

What Ferguson said wasn't gospel though. Rooney, Beckham, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Schmeichel, vdS, RvN, RvP, Keane, Stam and probably more were all world class
 
What a great difference he would have made in any team with his pinpoint crossing. Some credit to Nev too. They had a great link-up play down the right flank and both were so hardworking. Don't recall us getting hammered down the right flank at all those days. He scored so many crucial goals for us too n went through a very tough period after the WC'98 flak. Had strong character and always gave his best for us.

His crosses were so pivotal in contributing to our overall goal tally and to the forwards. Missed him! Can't easily think of a better crosser of the ball in the game, past and present. Maybe Sinisa Mihajlovic and Roberto Carlos for free kicks & set pieces.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: oates
Underrated as a player. Partly because he was over rated in the emerging football markets at the time (US/Asia) for marketing reasons. Which lead to a lot of people assuming he was only great in Europe because of his celebrity status.

Also underrated in modern times because a lot of people seem to categorise him as a winger/forward purely based on his position on a team sheet or where he's seen in highlight clips. He was a midfielder who could operate out wide.

Like someone said earlier, if he was playing today, he'd be one of the best playmakers around.
 
KeanoMagicHat said:
He won one La Liga in 4 years there, and they failed to even make a Champions League semi-final, losing in the last 16 3 out of 4 times. By Real Madrid's high standards it wasn't a very good team at all, despite some of the names there. Beckham in particular was an unnecessary Galactico signing and probably the one who tipped them over the edge on the balance of the side working.
Click to expand...
How did Manchester United do in the four years after we sold Beckham? How did we do in the four years before?

That’s probably a better indicator since Real Madrid didn’t exist in a vacuum.
 
crossy1686 said:
So did Ashley Cole, Peter Crouch and Wayne Bridge but they weren't on the same level Beckham was in terms of ability or appeal.
Click to expand...
Not to derail the thread, but Ashley Cole was easily as good as Beckham, albeit in a completely different position. I'd actually have him as LB/LWB if I were picking a PL all-star team.
 
If you put Beckham into this United side he would instantly be our best player. He was world class, hard working and I miss seeing him in a United shirt.
 
Pascal Quiff said:
Not to derail the thread, but Ashley Cole was easily as good as Beckham, albeit in a completely different position. I'd actually have him as LB/LWB if I were picking a PL all-star team.
Click to expand...
Ashley Cole was a brilliant left back, one of the best, but a totally different type of player and not as good as Beckham overall.
 
The fact that he and Keane didn't fight shows exactly how good Beckham must have been.
 
England have been a better side since the departure of the 'Golden Generation' which included Beckham in everything. England were rather one dimensional back then.
 
His ball-striking ability was ridiculous. To score so many free kicks, to complete so many long passes leading to goals, is not easily done. If you look back over the highlights, he had excellent touch and appreciation for the weight of a pass or a shot.

His celebrity-status probably contributed to a lack of appreciation for his brilliance as a footballer.

I genuinely feel that the retrospective opinion of him does not do him nearly enough credit.

He was also excellent for RM.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.