Mad Brit Diary

Beckham drama waiting to play out.

(Friday, May 23, 2003) -- So the big question on many people's mind, now the English Premier League season has ended, is will David Beckham, who is never out of the media's eye these days, leave Manchester United and move to Spanish giant Real Madrid.

Of course, Real Madrid denies that the club has made any moves to get the Posh Boy who broke his wrist in England's 2-1 win at South Africa this week, but isn't that what Real kept saying about Ronaldo, and we all know what happened there? Ronaldo eventually turned up playing in Madrid.

Now, if Beckham, 28, did move, it would be one of the biggest deals in sports history. Imagine a Real lineup with Raul, Luis Figo, Ronaldo, David Beckham, Roberto Carlos and Zinedine Zidane. Yet the Mad Brit can still see this glittering team losing at home to Real Mallorca 5 -1. (Sorry, didn't that happen recently?)

Beckham told the British media that he is staying at United. "There's been lots of stuff in the media about me and my future, but I can honestly say that there has been no contact between either me or my adviser with Real Madrid, or any other club," Beckham said. "I want to stay at United."

Now really, why would Beckham want to leave Manchester, where he's on the biggest team in the world, playing alongside his best pal, Gary Neville, and where most of the time the natives speak some form of the Queen's English? And he's not too far from his lovely mansion, wife and kids.

Well, Spain is a nice place to live, and Beckham would be playing next to some of the best players in the world. He could always pay for his hairdresser to be flown over to fix his $750 braids. And hasn't the midfielder had a few run-ins with United's coach Alex Ferguson? Remember the flying boot incident? Then there's the situation of Beckham's wife, Victoria Adams, who doesn't see eye-to-eye with Ferguson, the un-polished and gruff Scotsman. But Beckham's success has come under Ferguson who has recorded a remarkable record at United since 1986 (516-173-232, .686) and led the club to eight Premier League titles.

The Scot groomed Beckham from the day the 14-year-old Chingford lad arrived at Old Trafford. Beckham found his fame and glory under Ferguson. So can Beckham survive away from United? Of course he can. Beckham is a footballer first and foremost before all the fashion, the glitter and a whole host of other gigs. Beckham is a pure-bred player who loves to play the game and has proved under pressure that hecan compete at the very top. Remember the penalty kick against Argentina?

If Beckham does go to Spain, I'm sure he will do well. Heavens! This is the captain of England, with two World Cups under his belt and savvy knack for being successful on all levels. Beckham is not Paul Gascoinge, who flopped at Lazio in Italy, or Gary Lineker who was somewhat successful at Barcelona in Spain ( 44 goals in 99 games), or David Platt who reasonably did well in Italy at Bari, Juventus and Sampdoria.

Beckham is a new breed of player -- the cosmopolitan soccer star, surrounded by advisers, agents and a whole support group. Some see Beckham as a vain, media-manipulating, dumb soccer player with a third-rate education and all style over substance. It's easy to fit Beckham into that category. But then you see him bend a brilliant free kick into the goal or send over another fantastic pass to Ruud van Nistelrooy, or score two goals against mighty Real Madrid, and you realize the man is a great player of unusual talent. Others see him as a family man, loyal to his wife and kids, who has never hired a nanny and prefers playing with his kids than partying with friends.

O.K. we can forgive Beckham for the braids, the mowhawk, all the silly eye-catching jewelery, the bright pink nail varnish he once used and even for donning a sarong. (The Mad Brit hates the idea of guys wearing ear rings, but he's a tolerant lad.)

Beckham was once the butt of comedians in England. He spoke funny with and strong East End, London accent and had a temper problem. He was brash and a little arrogant. But the boy wonder has matured and has outgrown the jokes. He is now laughing all the way to the bank. Beckham has even become the subject of an academic study for changing the traditional British attitudes about masculinity. (Give us a break on that please!)

It's hard for some Americans to understand the Beckham-Posh Spice phenomena, but just imagine if Michael Jordan married Madonna and you get an idea. Beckham earns about $150,000 a week at Manchester and Real Madrid is reportedly ready to offer him a pay rise in the region of 20 percent. The pay raise is nothing, he's already multimillionaire with a fortune recently estimated at $121 million.

If Beckham does leave United, the fans will miss him, but they know that the club's success has come from the team as a whole, and from its talented and shrewd coach. No matter how big Beckham is on the world stage, the fans know that Ferguson is the real architect of their success. Ferguson had his problems and some thought he should have moved on last year, but, the antithesis of the fashionable Beckham, he is the real genius behind United's success. It was Ferguson who brought the temperamental Eric Cantona from Leeds. And Ferguson was the man who kept his faith in the van Nistelrooy trade after the Dutch star tore his knee immediately after signing a contract.

The Beckham-Real Madrid story will simmer for a while. For the moment, and with four-to-six weeks of recovery awaiting him to mend the broken bone in his wrist, the United star is more concerned about buying a vacation home in the Var region of France with a little advice from Sir Elton John. And the Beckham posse is preparing for the Englishman to conquer the United States. His sponsors, adidas and Pepsi, are desperate for Beckham to make in-roads into the American market.

Beckham recently appeared on Barbara Walter's 20\20 TV show; was profiled in USA Today and is getting additional attention due to the movie "Bend it Like Beckham," a sleeper film that has made $15 million in the last 10 weeks. It could all climax when Manchester play Barcelona, Juventus and Celtic in the States in July and August. Beckham will be back on the field from his recent injury by then. A certain Professor Ellis Cashmore of Staffordshire University in England , says Beckham is the "the purest sports personality in the world."

Says Cashmore: "His fan base goes far beyond sports; many of them don't even care about football. I put it down to three factors - and none of them have anything to do with his football ability. David married very well, has built up a mystique about himself and deliberately contradicts the stereotype of a violent, loutish footballer."

Beckham's agent, Tony Stephens, told a British newspaper that Beckham's success came from what he calls the '3F' theory - "family, football and fashion." In Thailand, fans have erected a golden likeness in a Buddhist temple. Even in Iraq, kids are seen running around wearing Beckham's No. 7 shirt.

Lastly, his dad chimes in and says his son remains loyal to Manchester United. "David is staying at Manchester United as long as they want him," says his father. "He loves the club and all the talk about Real Madrid is pure fantasy."

We shall see. But that, my fellow soccer friends, is enough on Beckham.

Glasgow Celtic's Henrik Larsson has scored an amazing 201 goals in 254 games for the Scottish club, 26 goals for the Netherland's Feyenoord in 101 games, and 24 goals in 72 games for Sweden at the international level. According to the BBC website, Larsson has 0.59 per league game since he made his debut in Sweden, out-scoring Henry Thierry (0.40), Michael Owen (0.54), but not as good as Ruud Van Nistelrooy (0.60).

Former Columbus Crew star Stern John, who notched an amazing 44 goals in 55 games in Major League Soccer from 1998-99, has been offered a new contract with Birmingham City of the Premier League. The Trinidad & Tobago striker was the Blues' top scorer this season with nine goals.

The average crowd attending England's top-flight division -- the Premier League -- hit a 50-year high in the 2002-2003 season with an average crowd of 35,445, an increase of 3.03 percent from the previous year. The last time crowds averaged over 35,000 in a season was back in the 1950-51 campaign.

Nick Estrada writes: "I have been reading up on the David Beckham issue. Say he does come to the U.S., he would make soccer a whole lost more interesting in the U.S. with his mad skill.

Tom Emerson says: "That there are so many national team players on relegated West Ham probably says a lot about the state of English soccer. Not many German national-team members on Energie Cottbus or Nurnberg (though they both feature Americans). How many Italian national team players suit up for Piacenza? If it doesn't say anything about the state of English soccer, then it says something about the coaching staff at West Ham. How can a talented side not produce?

Knapp says : "On Man. United. . . I think Sir Alex Ferguson was brilliant in sitting David Beckham for the Real game. Beckham scored two meaningless goals, wasn't there when it really mattered in the first game, when Real was playing at half speed. This forces Beckham's hand. Stay and remain an icon for the same amount of money, or leave and risk absolute humiliation in a superior league like La Liga or Serie A where he doesn't have the complete skill set to compete day in, day out."

Scott K.: "I keep hearing rumors, both here and from the United Kingdom that Man. U. is about to sign Tim Howard. Cam can you confirm these? I know he's a good keeper, excellent in fact, but do you think he's of Man. U. caliber?"

Hey Scott, Howard has nothing to lose if he is offered a job. He's 23 with his whole future ahead of him. The MB still thinks he's a little too young to make the move.

Heard a rumor, have a gripe or a tip? Feeling lonely? E-mail the Mad Brit at themadbrit3@aol.com.