Is David Beckham overrated?

The recent announcement that David Beckham is to retire at the end of this season brought a great many players and managers to comment on his fantastic contribution to the game. His professionalism and dedication, at both club and international level, cannot be questioned and he is regularly hailed as a role model for children playing the game. He has won titles in four different countries but has his iconic status clouded the public judgement of how good he actually is?

Passionate about playing for his country even until the final year of his career, the boy from London never called time on his international appearances and was bitterly disappointed when he missed out on a World Cup place in 2010 because of an Achilles tendon injury suffered whilst on loan at Milan. In a time when fans have criticised England players for not singing the national anthem and not understanding the importance of wearing the three lions on the shirt, Beckham was one of the few whose desire was never questioned. Even in difficult times, particularly after his sending off against Argentina at France 98, the public never turned on him and if anything he became the symbol of the national team. 

He was also left out of Team GB for the Olympics after being selected in the initial shortlist, but did carry the Olympic torch as part of the opening ceremony and was heavily involved with the promotion of London 2012. Due to his work for good causes and projects outside of football, his popularity has continued to rise over the years and he has become a one man advertising machine capable of pulling in millions in merchandise sales. Whilst a great benefit to the commercial arm of the clubs where he has played, his ability to make pinpoint accurate passes and crosses regularly has been invaluable to the football side of things. 

Never blessed with either pace or dribbling skills, Beckham has made up for these deficiencies with an ability to strike a ball better than most players and pick out a pass from 40 or 50 yards. Free kick specialist and corner kick taker wherever he has been, Sir Alex Ferguson once said,

"David Beckham is Britain’s finest striker of a football not because of God-given talent but because he practises with a relentless application that the vast majority of less gifted players wouldn’t contemplate."

His club statistics indicate that he can provide the odd goal every now and then as well, although the assists column is definitely where he shines; he is still 14th in the all-time Premier League assists table, which is not bad considering he left Manchester United ten years ago. 

The public will remember him as much for his fashion and celebrity lifestyle as they will for his footballing prowess, which is perhaps slightly unfair for a player that has achieved so much. Beckham has said that he hopes people appreciated his ability on the pitch more than anything else, but it is hard to separate the package that is 'Brand Beckham' and only time will tell whether he is talked about in years to come as a great player of the game.

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