David Beckham - Why all the fuss?
When you watch David Beckham with a ball you watch someone at the very pinnacle of their profession. The master craftsman, perhaps even a great artist! Europe is in mourning as he leaves for America and yet many in his new homeland aren't sure what it's all about.
As we all know, soccer is continuing to grow in America and with the arrival of Beckham it's about to get a nice boost. Even sports fans who don't follow soccer are wondering what makes this guy so special.
To understand the phenomena that is David Beckham you need to understand the player. The reason he first won the England fans over and then the Real Madrid fans was not because he was the best player in the team, he wasn't. Nor was it his speed, or his ball juggling skills, his witty after match comments etc.
David Beckham has won the hearts of the teams fans he has played for because of his determination, belief in himself and most of all, because he simply never ever quits. When others around him are hanging their heads and giving up a lost cause, Beckham is running like his life depends on it. He'll chase that ball right up until the referee ends the game and he'll believe the game can still be salvaged up to the very end. It is this playing "with his heart on his sleeve" mentality that will win over the American sports fans.
It helps of course that he is the worlds best crosser of the ball as well as one of the worlds best free kick takers. These skills again show you Beckham's mindset and determination. He was never a naturally skillful player in the mold of say a Pele or George Best and as a young lad in the youth team trying to break into Manchester United's first team, e had a problem - he couldn't beat a defender! Every time he tried to go round or past one he would lose the ball.
With the coach Sir Alex Ferguson ever watchful it became clear to Beckham that he could either accept his fate and be passed on to a lesser club where he'd ply his trade as a decent player or he could solve this problem and play for the biggest club in the world. Thankfully for Manchester United, himself and soccer fans throughout the world he chose the hard route. He decided if he could not beat a defender then he would have to get rid of the ball before facing defense. He stayed behind after official training every night and practised crossing the ball. He practised until he could land the ball exactly at the spot he wanted. He also learnt the art of bending the ball until no one in the world could bend it like Beckham.
With all this practice his dead ball shots also improved dramatically. He would hone is skills by shooting through car tyre's that had been hung on rope from the cross bar and he soon established himself as the Manchester United and England free kick specialist. He is now regarded as one of the worlds finest and rightly so.
European soccers loss is the gain of MLS and soon L.A. Galaxy fans and arm chair fans throughout America will be able to see why European fans adored him so much.
please visit us to find plenty more info about David Beckham playing soccer. David plays in midfield, visit us to learn about the different soccer positions and what makes a great midfielder.
Click here for other unique david beckham articles.
About the Author
Rating: Not yet rated