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Wing it like Beckham

David Beckham insists that his long flight across the Atlantic to Los Angeles is not for the money — although "it's an amazing amount of money," $250 million over five years, to be precise, and "some people laughed at me" — but to "make a difference" and be a "part of history." At first glance, the man who is arguably the world's most famous footballer is risking his reputation by moving away from Europe. Three decades after the great Pele's move to the New York Cosmos, the United States has not embraced football, which it eccentrically insists on calling `soccer.' Will Beckham be reduced to a caricature? On closer inspection, however, it appears the Englishman has made the most logical move given the circumstances. His career was facing a slump. In the aftermath of yet another World Cup debacle, he was obliged to step down as England's captain. Many considered him easy-going, too kind on his teammates and on himself. His form in the three years spent at Real Madrid had been poor. In the post Sven-Goran Eriksson era, there seemed no assured place for a 31-year-old Beckham. So for the dandyish superstar, what could be more logical than winging it to Hollywood country — not post-retirement like Pele but with his international football hopes alive?

Notwithstanding his inclusion in Pele's FIFA 100, Beckham is a limited player. Awkward in defence, he is comically prone to making ill-advised tackles at the worst of moments. Disinclined towards bursts of athleticism, he is at best steady in the field. It is his precision with the dead ball and the long cross that makes him a threat to the best teams. Beckham can deliver a sublime ball from the right flank to a waiting striker, and is equally accurate with free kicks. Physics can deconstruct his 30-yard shots, delivered with an optimal mix of curl and dip; but it is harder to explain Beckham's unerring instinct, the feel he imparts to the play. The perfectly weighted curving ball remains his greatest asset. Very few have proved capable of bending the soccer ball like Beckham. He will dazzle, if only occasionally, when he turns out for Los Angeles Galaxy. As much Hollywood star as footballer, he could enjoy himself more over the next five years than he ever did in England or Spain. The $250 million deal (inclusive of endorsements) will place him at the top of American sports earnings. Better still, Beckham has a chance to make an impression on the one territory where the question `who's he?' is likely to pop up from time to time. Who knows, in persuading this new audience to fall in love with his hairstyle, he might manage to make Americans fall in love with the game.

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