Journalist Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail referred to him as ‘England’s bit-part celebrity’, suggesting the acclaim afforded to the midfielder ‘insulted the rest of England’s team by celebrating a man who did not come on until the last half hour’. Meanwhile, in his post match comments manager Fabio Capello wryly compared him to Barack Obama. And yet the form and fitness of David Beckham should not be a matter of derision or contempt.
Man of the Match?
Admittedly the Man of the Match award, gifted to him by his former Manchester United colleague, had all and sundry perplexed, least of all the recipient who, as ever, modestly and rather ashamedly said:
“I don’t know how I got that. Thanks, Brucie. I played with him, of course.”
But really was it so wide of the mark?
Lacklustre England
Yes, the beard was ill-advised, and yes, perhaps Steve Bruce, a former hardened centreback whose nose is a testament to his trade, was merely crediting the 34-year-old for enlivening another uneventful evening at the new Wembley.
Yet prior to his entrance the game had been a damp squib, characterised more by the Belarusian’s superior retention of the football, than Capello’s much talked about ‘Plan B’, in the enforced absence of Wayne Rooney.
Peter Crouch gave a timely reminder of his potency in international football, and Gareth Barry ensured Michael Carrick will remain at best an understudy, but elsewhere, the gifting of Shaun Wright-Philips with an eight out of ten rating, as many frontline newspapers have done, merely sums up the delusion with which Capello’s England are viewed. The diminutive Manchester City winger toiled, but his goal aside, was ill-effective on the left flank and merits his lofty score as much as Beckham deserved his Man of the Match magnum.
Crowd adulation justified
The reception bestowed to Beckham on the touchline prior to his replacing Aaron Lennon on 59 minutes, was a testament to his enduring popularity, and his subsequent performance will merely heighten their appetite for a player who has worn the Three Lions with immense pride for the best part of 13 years.
Justifying his apparently mystifying selection of Beckham as his Man of the Match, Bruce said:
“For me, David had the biggest impact on the game even though he was only on for 30 minutes.”
“He is desperate to get on that plane to South Africa and tonight he lifted the whole occasion.”
Again, it’s difficult to fault Bruce’s argument. Beckham’s mere presence did elevate the crowd and his own team’s performance. Busy and demanding of possession throughout, the country’s most capped outfield player showed the urgency and endeavor that had been lacking in an otherwise instantly forgettable and lacklustre England performance.
Critics wrong to pounce on Beckham’s international appetite
Rather than praise another proud performance by an individual who has amassed 115 caps, Beckham’s cameo has seemingly given his sceptics more ammunition with which to pillory him, simply because he was, allegedly at least, wrongly adjudged to be the Man of the Match.
Oliver Kay of The Times remarks: “To gush over his performance, in what by that stage had become an exhibition match, would be to ignore the reality that the adulation he enjoys is not backed up by anything he has done in recent years.”
Capello’s side were only one goal to the good and although England were already assured of their qualification, the game was petering out, and fast. The introduction of Beckham and his resulting performance merely highlights his desire to remain an integral part of the England set-up.
It is exactly the kind of energetic and full-hearted displays that endears Beckham to the public; to dismiss his industrious and inventive cameo, albeit a brief one, is to completely miss the point. Players should be playing for their place and aiming to impress, rather than going through the motions in ‘an exhibition match’.
Beckham remains an enduring figure for England fans because of his appetite to play for his country.
Mick Dennis of the Daily Express said it best when he remarked on Sky Sports News:
“Some of my greatest memories as an England fan have been inspired by David Beckham”
After the game and having reluctantly scooped up the sponsors champagne, Beckham almost apologetically suggested he was simply trying to make Capello’s squad selection a difficult one.
“I'll carry on working hard, playing as hard as I can, and just to give myself a chance.”
Surely this alone should be celebrated as an example by which all young English footballers should follow. Picked or not by Capello for South Africa next summer, Beckham is merely setting out to do the best for himself and his country, and it is that unique, insatiable drive that sets him apart from his peers.