David Beckham is more than just a footballer. He's a fashion icon, a global celebrity, the husband of a popstar. He's a brand. As a result, he divides opinion.
Some supporters see him as the very embodiment of football's polished, soulless modernity. Others admire him because they buy into post-1992 football and its requirement that footballers be "celebs".
What shouldn't be in doubt is that David Beckham has always remained a committed footballer. His targets have evolved since he roared onto the scene in the mid-1990s, but they still reside on the football field.
Beckham's critics have been provided with ammunition at certain junctures in his career - he has made plenty of mistakes - but the former England captain always bounces back. He won over English football supporters after his infamous red card at France '98, and emphatically regained Fabio Capello's confidence at Real Madrid.
David Beckham will be 35 by the time World Cup 2010 kicks off in South Africa, yet he's likely to be there. It speaks volumes for the man's technical ability, workrate, attitude and dedication, and has been his main objective for over a year. In
The Beckham Experiment, his excellent account of Beckham's first two years in Major League Soccer,
Sports Illustrated journalist Grant Wahl posits that Beckham moved to LA Galaxy too early in his career.
Beckham has re-focused on South Africa 2010 and moved to AC Milan on loan last season in order to maximise his chances of featuring in Capello's squad. In doing so, he angered the Galaxy supporters long before Wahl's revelations about behind-the-scenes manoeuvring which reflected exceptionally badly on Beckham and his advisors. LA's failure to make the MLS playoffs in 2007 and 2008 hardly helped his reputation in Carson, but his decision to seek a loan move to Serie A was based entirely in footballing ambition.
His time in MLS has been far from stellar. The team, until just before his return in 2009, has been below par. His management has interfered far too willingly in the Galaxy front office, even bringing in "their man" Ruud Gullit as coach despite the Dutchman - as he later proved - having no idea how the league works. On the field, Beckham has variously underperformed, been anonymous and shown up the petulant side we've seen on occasion throughout his career. At times, it's simply looked like he doesn't want to be there.
Come the start of the 2010 season, he will have that wish. His return to San Siro has been sealed on more amicable grounds largely because Galaxy and MLS officials have seen his commitment to the playoff push this season and his apparent willingness to heal his relationship with Landon Donovan, a player with whom Beckham has finally forged a formidable partnership on the pitch.
David Beckham, as a player and future franchise owner), will be good for Major League Soccer, but he still has obstacles to overcome. LA supporters are largely behind him once again thanks to his instrumental contribution to their excellent form in the second half of the 2009 season. They have an outstanding opportunity to win MLS Cup, a title which would seal Beckham's forgiveness from even his most ardent Riot Squad critic.
But it's not that simple. MLS is a unique league and its community sees it very much as a cross to bear. The league's success as a whole is almost as important as the success of one's individual club, so Beckham has come under fire from supporters outside LA; there is a feeling he has let the league down by joining Milan twice and performing poorly from his signing in 2007 until the summer of 2009. These are all people Beckham must win over, and only a fool would bet against him.
David Beckham is not beyond criticism, and the fact that so many MLS supporters are passionate and wise enough to rail against the Beckham celebrity circus and demand a focus on football bodes well for the league, which is developing by the year and gradually taking on the characteristics of a fantastic competition. But I think he has made his decisions with the right intentions.
As a fellow Englishman, I admire Beckham's determination to once more pull on an England shirt in a World Cup. He's willing to play year-round until he collapses to maintain fitness and exposure, and that's a rare trait.
And so 2010 is a huge year for the former Manchester United midfielder. If he makes it to the World Cup - and he will - he will be staring down the barrel of two more years in Major League Soccer. Sean Wheelock, a Kansas City Wizards play-by-play commentator and pundit on the BBC's
World Football Phone-In, doesn't think Beckham will return. I disagree with Sean, but without South Africa on the horizon we may see a different player.
At the end of those two years Beckham will surely be considering retirement, and that's where his relationship with Major League Soccer will really get interesting. I think David Beckham and his advisors/management would be ideal ownership for MLS, assuming it's not at another club which already
has ownership. With the league expanding, Beckham could easily afford to get involved. He understands how things work in the United States and he makes a success of everything he touches. Long term, Beckham and MLS are made for each other.
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