Mad Brit Diary: Beckham's transfer was biggest story of 2003.

Last January, it would have been hard to imagine that the golden boy would be leaving Old Trafford in a $41 million deal but, in February, the simmering feud between Beckham and Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson came to a head. After a loss to Arsenal, Ferguson heaped blame on Beckham. The player gave Ferguson a mouthful and then the rugged Scotsman let fly at a stray boot in the locker room that hit Beckham above the eye.

The following day, Beckham wore his golden locks pulled back so the world could see his scarred eye. It became clear that Beckham and Ferguson could not live together at the mighty club. Something had to give. Ferguson tried to ward of suitor clubs from poaching on Beckham, 27, but it became clear in March that Real Madrid was closely monitoring Becks, as was Barcelona.

Madrid probably decided that Beckham was its man when he came off the bench to score twice in United's 4-3 win over Real in the Champions League at Old Trafford in April. Madrid won the two-game series 6-5 on aggregate and fans were left wondering why Beckham hadn't started the game.

And then it happened. On July 1, Beckham signed with Real Madrid in a deal that reverberated all around the world. Beckham's career suddenly shot even higher into the stratosphere. Fans were stunned. One newspaper, set up a grief hotline for shocked supporters. Gone was the No. 7 on Beckham's shirt; at Real, he was handed No. 23.

A few games in for the Spanish giant and El Spice scored after just two minutes of his La Liga debut with Madrid beating Real Betis 2-1 at home. In no time, Beckham won over Real fans and emerged as one of the club's most influential players so far this season. The move seems to have matured Beckham who will captain England at Euro 2004 in Portugal.

Beckham has urged the English players to steer clear of earning easy cash and to focus fully on bringing home a major trophy for England for the first time in 38 years. Beckham wants the England team to recreate its privacy and not be distracted by the media.

From 1994, Beckham had sent in his brilliant free kicks before the Manchester crowd. Now, the Prince of the game was gone, but not forgotten. "I'll miss a few things," said Beckham as he left England. "I'll miss friends, I'll miss family that can't get over there all the time, my nan and grandad. I'll miss pie and mash and jellied eels. Apart from that, I'm looking forward to life in Madrid."

Meantime, the biggest mover in the game in 2003 was Russian oil billionaire Roman Abramovich. The 37-year-old hockey fan poured over $206 million in buying players Chelsea, which is battling Man. U. and Arsenal for the Premier League crown.

The London club has not won a title since 1955. In the major European leagues, Manchester United won its eighth Premier League title in 11 seasons in 2003 and made a triumphant tour of the United States in the summer, selling out every stadium, and insuring that the Red Devils will tour the U.S. again this summer.

In Spain, Real Madrid gained its 29th Spanish championship, Juventus extended its record of Italian league championships to 27 and Bayern Munich captured its 18th German crown, its fourth in five seasons.

In England Man. U. defender Rio Ferdinand, the most expensive defender on the planet, faces an eighth-month ban for failing to turn up for a routine drug test. The saddest moment of the year came when Cameroon star Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed on the field and died at the Confederations Cup in France.

In one of the biggest surprises of the year, Latvia eliminated Turkey in a playoff series to qualify for Euro 2004. The draw for the finals put traditional rivals Germany, Netherlands and Czech Republic in the same group, while France begins its defense against England.

The 2003 Champions League final predictably saw AC Milan and Juventus play to a scoreless tie. Ukrainian star Andriy Shevchenko scored the decisive penalty kick in the shootout for Milan to end the Italian deadlock.

The mailbox

Johnwscott writes: "What's with all the continual crap about NCAA soccer being a substandard level of soccer and coaching. True, it is not fully committed to preparing professionals, but the last time I looked, it was called collegiate for a reason. The focus is on education. And it's not for everyone. That's why (Major League Soccer) has Project 40.

"While we're discussing the inadequacies of NCAA soccer, let's examine the roster of the United States at the last World Cup where it advanced to the quarterfinals: coach Bruce Arena (University of Virginia coach), Brad Friedel (UCLA), Kasey Keller (Portland), Gregg Berhalter (North Carolina) Eddie Pope (North Carolina), Tony Sanneh (Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Claudio Reyna (Virginia), Clint Mathis (South Carolina), Josh Wolff (south Carolina), Steve Cherundolo (Portland), Pablo Mastreni (North Carolina State, (injured) Chris Armas (Adelphi) and Jeff Agoos (Virginia). Pretty good result from a core of NCAA alumni, don't you think?"

Ramon Creager writes: "I'm writing because you are exploring the problems the English Premier League has maintaining any sort of parity, and because many of your readers are quick to jump in with calls for a more European format to MLS, with a single table, relegation etc. I would like to point out that I know of only one league in any sport, other than MLS, which maintains good parity and gives every fan value for their money: the National Football League. How does the NFL do this? First, it understands its market. It is not about the Dallas Cowboys, or the San Francisco 49ers. It is about the NFL. Revenues are shared. The draft is used to ensure that the have-nots get the first whack at the emerging player pool. A salary cap is instituted to ensure that the richest teams don't merely buy themselves championship teams. The human element, in the form of coaches and general managers, thus comes into play. They must make tough, informed choices, great fodder for barroom discussion. Further, because there is not a single table, schedules can be engineered to give weaker teams a chance to pick themselves up again. The result of all this? The NFL is great fun to watch!

Chris Allen says: "We need a broader fan base. Why not promote one team from the A-League each year; set the team a target for points (perhaps as simple as surpassing the bottom MLS team from the previous year's point total). If the (promoted team) achieves this, let it stay, just expand the league. A bigger table is better."

Bill McLean writes: "Thought you might want to see what (Ivan) Helguera -- Beckham's teammate at Real Madrid had to say recently. While not doubting Beckham's effectiveness going forward, Helguera rubbished suggestions the England international has filled the gap left by (Claude) Makelele's departure to Chelsea. 'I can assure you he doesn't reach Makelele's level no matter what people say,' Helguera told Spanish newspaper Marca. 'He is not as defensive as Makelele.' "

Tom Lang writes: "I had previously been under the impression that American football fans had no idea what was going on in European football and it is refreshing to see that you do. Your diary is more insightful into our game than most newspaper reports in Spain, England and Italy, and also offers impartial views. It has also made me realize how ignorant I am of the MLS and what an intriguing league it actually is. Thanks very much for the fantastic work."

Cristiano Gonzaga says: "MB, I like your columns, and I see everyone is always trying to figure out what is the best soccer league in the world. So what is the best league in the world? People will look at the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga, and even MLS is being talked about now, EPL is a good league with some great games but, in the end, it's Manchester United or Arsenal the winner. Same with La Liga right now. It's a Real Madrid league (with Real possibly) the best club in the world. Serie A has more clubs that can win the league, but still the same clubs (win) the race. MLS, you never know who's going to win, but it's a small league with only 10 clubs playing.

"So what is the best league? When you talk soccer, you have to look at Brazil. The Brazilian league in the last 10 years had eight different winners, with clubs with tradition as Santos, and Cruzeiro winning for the first time. A smaller club, such as Sao Caetanowas in the final two years in a row and Atletico PR won for the first time. In 2003, the league had the same form as in the European leagues which I did not like, but if you ask me, that's the best league in the world."

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