Leonardo, a Brazilian World Cupwinner and current sporting director at the Parisian outfit provides the answer: “He is more than a football player – he’s a brand, a pop star. I would always consider him.” Eschewing even a modicum of discretion, Leonardo candidly emphasizes the allure of David Beckham being more about financial incentive and brand cognizance than the ‘cog’s’ ability with a football. Sentiments echoed in W12 by Tony Fernandes, the new owner of QPR: “Beckham’s advisers want to talk because our vision is a long-term one, with commercial things David can do with me in Asia.”
It wouldn’t be the first time that Beckham, the brand, has been exploited through football for extra-curricular endeavors. On 1st June 2008, the FA cynically appointed Beckham as stand-in England captain for one friendly encounter with Trinidad and Tobago, for the express purpose of courting the favour of then FIFA vice-president, Jack Warner, who held an important vote in the bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
Although the bidding process, along with Warner, have since generated controversy on a far more encompassing scale, the move to appoint Beckham as captain was largely conspicuous seeing as he relinquished his duties as skipper two years previously and had barely featured on the international scene for Fabio Capello or predecessor, Steve McLaren, since the 2006 World Cup.
There’s no doubting Beckham’s pedigree, past or present, seeing as the six-time Premier League winner has featured in 622 professional club matches, scoring 114, assisting an absurd amount more and has gained ardor from Manchester to Madrid and Los Angeles to Milan. Much like at any time in his revered career, he must not be completely written-off, although potential suitors should remain cautious about his capacity to play at a top level again.
The danger, however, isn’t whether a gamble on a veteran midfielder will yield a sudden rise up the table or progression to a tournament’s next round, but that we are witnessing the open acceptance of professional athletes as marketing tools, the USPs of developing clubs attempting to forge an identity amongst the big-spending and traditional milestones on the European footballing landscape.
The recent and sudden suppression of players’ public broadcasts by their employers isn’t, as they would have us believe, an effort to shield the fragile fans from internal disillusion nor try to maintain dressing-room decorum or ‘set the right example to kids,’ but because their statuses now represent values far removed from the pitch.
As much as the current state of play signifies a natural and predictable juncture in football’s development as an overall entity since the influx of television money in the 1990s, the potential cost to players’ freedom remains unknown, yet appears worryingly unstable at present. No matter where Beckham lends his services to next, his arrival will be met with warranted fanfare. I hope for his sake that his intentions remain consistent, in so far as playing regular competitive football will significantly increase his chances of appearing for Great Britain at next summer’s London Olympics. But it seems more than likely that his next club will reap benefits that far outweigh his personal accomplishments.
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