8/9/2019 Hats off to Becks

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MONDAY

31 March

2008

RANT &R.AGE

8

BY NIKI CHEONG

THERE have been a lot of brickbats aboutDavid Beckham over the years, but thefootballer (or soccer player, consideringthat he is attached to an American teamnow) has been resilient and persistent.

Time and time again, he has beenmocked but he has showed that beneaththe flamboyant dressing and girly voice isa fighter.

Last Thursday, Beckham started for theEngland team under new manager FabioCapello in a friendly match againstFrance. That was Bekhams 100th matchfor his country, making him only the fifthEnglish national player to achieve such afeat.

Goalkeeper Peter Shilton holds therecord with 125 caps, while footballgreats Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton andBilly Wright hold 108, 106 and 105 caps,respectively. Not a bad bunch of namesto be associated with.

Beckham is probably the most famousfootball player in the world (even moreso than the legendary Pele, some mayargue) but his reputation has also beensullied by his on and off the field antics.

He faced the wrath of his countrymenover his petulant meltdown in the 1998World Cup, and weathered the intensescrutiny on his private life which includedextra-marital affairs and his rumouredkinky donning of his wifes knickers.

Beckham would also be rememberedfor marrying a Spice Girl, but his legacyshould be his talent and prowess as afootballer.

If anything, his appearance in his 100thmatch last week in which a lethargicEngland lost 0-1 to France should speakenough for the player that he has alwaysbeen, and the player that he hasbecome.

In fact, it is a testament to his profes-sionalism that such a momentous occa-sion was celebrated in a mellow manner.Sure, true to his reputation as a fashionicon, Bekham ran onto the pitch in a pairof gold coloured boots with the inscrip-tion 100 caps.

And when he left the field at the 63rdminute, he acknowledged the crowd who all gave him a standing ovation with a big smile, and a clap.

It was a great moment for him to baskin his glory but Beckham was always ateam player throughout his 16 yearprofessional career. He clapped alongwith the crowd and rested on the bench,

just like he would at any other match.The celebrations took place later, at a

party with his family, according toreports.

Detractors were quick to suggest thatit was more sympathy from managerCapello that earned Beckham his 100thcap. However, the manager has provenbefore that he has no patience forcelebrity-dom, the same way he exclud-ed Beckham from his Real Madrid teamwhen the latter signed on to Americanteam LA Galaxy and was leaving theteam.

Capello has also proven that he too isa professional, when he ate his wordsand added Beckham back into his teamafter he had proved his worth (despitethe personal bad blood): a move whichmany critics hail as the turning point ofReal Madrids win of the Prima Liga thatseason.

The fact of the matter is that Beckham fashion icon, model good looks andHollywood lifestyle aside is a true foot-ball player, and one with a bounty of tal-ent.

Ahead of the match against France,long-time Arsenal manager ArseneWenger paid tribute to the star, sayingthat Beckham trained like a madmanduring his short training stint at Arsenal.Beckham had trained with the Englishclub during the off-season period of hisAmerican league.

From his days at Manchester Unitedwhere he was groomed and mentored tohis move to Real Madrid in Spain andlater the LA Galaxy, Beckham has longproven his worth and shown the worldtime and time again what a talent hepossesses.

Even having a movie named after hislegendary football move Bend it LikeBeckham was not a nod to his super-star status, but instead to his skill andmagical ability to control the football.

But enough is enough. He may nothave won many medals, and only cameclose to winning players awards (he wastwice runner up for FIFA Player of theYear), but this century cap will lock his

place in history (the closest players tohim at the moment is best friend GaryNeville, stuck at 85, and Michael Owenat 88).

He may not have commemorated his10tth cap in a massive way but his fans,in Britain, the United States and evenhere in Malaysia, are celebrating withhim in our hearts.

HHaattssooffffttooBBeecckkss