Football's Global Face

David Beckham: The Man, the Myth, the Marketeer
by Matthew Maloney

Let's face it, David Beckham is the most well-known footballer on the planet, and if anyone can claim to be 'The' ambassador for lo Joga Bonito—believe it or not, he's the one.

Having appeared on the famous covers of numerous and especially, diverse magazines like Men's Health, Sports Illustrated, Vanity Fair, and yes, even the odd football magazine, he is undoubtedly the face many will associate with football worldwide, from Japan to America to England and back. If ever there was one man who could surely make that envious claim, sadly, it is he.

How could it of come to this?! How did David Beckham become football's global face? Well first let's examine the man.

Having played for the three biggest clubs in the three biggest football leagues in world football (Man Utd, Real Madrid, and now AC Milan) and having, on paper, a career many would die for (6 PLs, 1 CL, 2 FA Cups, La Liga, English Football Hall of Fame), Beckham has also received a ludicrous amount of public and civilian awards and honours (among them an OBE, Time 100 - 2008, 'Britain's Greatest Ambassador', UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador).

International football community recognition however has been lukewarm, especially in comparison to his status in the game as its most famous son. An appearance in Pele's FIFA 100 (something a contemptuous retard like El Hadji Diouf made it into, now of Blackburn, formerly of Sunderland and Bolton) and an American ESPY award or two aside, his notable achievements in this area have been two runners-up spots in the FIFA world player (1999, 2001) and a UEFA European competition club footballer of the year award in 1999 (Was he really that singularly indispensable to United's European Cup victory that season? Roy Keane might disagree, but thats another debate.)

I know football is a team game and someone could well counter that it is only team achievements that matter (and on that regard Beckham does well) but if an individual footballer is worth $250m over five years, you would think he would have the badges and individual accolades to prove it.

Besides, the idea that individuals don't matter is passe and the theory one man cannot create a team is more than arguable (for example see: Maradonna winning Argentina the 1986 WC, or a list of Steven Gerrard led miracle Liverpool victories). God knows many other lesser lights have won many team awards as 'passengers' for all intents and purposes (we're looking at you Phil Neville, Winston Bogarde, Dida, Geremi etc)—whether Beckham has been what I like to call a passenger or an instigator through his career is yet another debate.

Perhaps the most explicit point to be made here about the man is that at no point in Beckham's admittedly glittering career would I or, I suspect, most people, have classified David as the best player in the world, nevermind of his generation.

This is where the myth of Beckham comes into play in understanding his overwhelming fame.

David and Victoria Beckham have been Britain's golden tabloid couple for at least a decade now. As former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson once commented, he kept David Beckham as captain from Peter Taylor's caretaker reign because 'he was the most famous and well known' (Well gee, I guess England internationals shouldn't have to put up with a captain nobody really knows about).

The myth, which I will later call the brand, centres around phrases and watchwords like 'metrosexuality', 'the modern man', 'the golden boy of his generation' (or goldenballs, if you prefer), 'international superstar' and of course 'Posh & Becks'.

Towards the end of Beckham's Manchester United career, even Sir Alex Ferguson had begun to think the David Beckham on his books was a doppelganger pop star as opposed to the typical elite footballer he had become adept at dealing with.

David Beckham has been mentioned in the same breath as the words 'pioneer' and 'saviour' when it comes to 'soccer' in America. However, even the most optimistic prognosis has deemed Beckham's long term impact on promoting the American game over his two-year sojourn as minimal. In fact if anything I would (and will) argue that Beckham has done more to promote himself during his stay there.

Likewise visions of screaming teenage Asian girls at airports and sultry black and white photos of him in my sister's bedroom (and lets admit it, most of our sister's bedrooms) highlight his sex appeal. (If only Beckham was really a drug dealer, my sister would profess an undying love for the man.) No doubt Beckham's looks have added to the caricature of the 'perfect man' and allowed many female fans more opportunity to buy into the myth.

It is at international level however where the myth of David Beckham really comes into play. David Beckham is set to break the great Bobby Moore's outfield England record—but unlike Moore, Beckham as captain or squad member has never come close to emulating his achievements on the pitch, and most certainly not a World Cup.

Free kick against Greece aside, many of Beckham's most memorable events in a Three Lions shirt have been infamous or disappointing.

As of now, I think, David Beckham is Hotter than me already. sigh

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