A True Soccer Legend - David Beckham

David Beckham - What's it all about?

When you watch David Beckham with a ball you watch someone at the very pinnacle of their profession. The master craftsman, perhaps even a great artist! Europe is in mourning as he leaves for America and yet many in his new homeland aren't sure what it's all about.

Soccer is growing in The States, no question about that and its about to get a whole lot bigger. Many in The States cannot get excited about soccer but even they wonder what's so special about David Beckham playing soccer?

To understand the phenomena that is David Beckham you need to understand the player. The reason he first won the England fans over and then the Real Madrid fans was not because he was the best player in the team, he wasn't. Nor was it his speed, or his ball juggling skills, his witty after match comments etc.

The reason his fans love him and even supporters of rival teams admire him so much is because the guy just never gives up. His team can be 2 goals down with a few minutes left on the clock but Beckham will be running and chasing to win the ball. It is this will to win and belief in himself that will win over America's arm chair sports fans. He plays with his heart on his sleeve and always has done.

He is of course the worlds greatest crosser of a soccer ball which helps win the fans over and his free kicks still rank him along side the worlds best dead ball specialists. But even these skills are acredited to his never give in spirit and his will to succeed. David was never a great natural player, someone born with a gift like a George Best or a Maradona. His skills were learnt as a necessity because as a young player trying to break into the first team at the great Manchester United the young David Beckham had a problem - He could not get past a defender!

He soon realized if he was to progress under the ever watchful eye of the great coach Sir Alex Ferguson he needed a solution. So instead of trying to beat the defender and losing the ball he simply learnt to cross the ball into the danger area for others, learning how to make it swerve around the defense and thereby completely removing the need to worry about a little thing like defenders!

All this practising with a moving ball meant his dead ball skills went through the roof and he soon established himself as Manchester United's and then England's free kick specialist. His peers regard him the finest free kick taker in the world.

As David Beckham sets off on a new adventure both the L.A. Galaxy and arm chair fans will soon come to understand why we loved him so much and why we miss him already.

England miss Euro ’08 bus

England hopes of a place in Euro 2008 finals disappeared at Wembley yesterday when they lost 2-3 to Croatia after fighting back from conceding two early goals to pull level. Subsequently, head coach Steve MaClaren was sacked.
Instead of hanging to the point that would have secured their place in the tournament co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland, they conceded a third goal 13 minutes from time, allowing Russia to steal into second place in Group E and qualify with Croatia.
It was the first time since 1984 that England missed out on the European Championship finals and the first time since the 1994 World Cup that they failed to qualify for a major tournament.
Former England captain David Beckham, a second-half substitute said, “This is a big setback, not just for the players but the nation… We have to show the English way which is to fight back.”
The home crowd was stunned after eight minutes when Scott Carson, controversially chosen in goal after making his debut in a friendly only last week, allowed a speculative shot by Niko Kranjcar to skid off him and into the net, and it looked all over when Ivica Olic doubled the lead six minutes later.
England pulled level with a 56th-minute Frank Lampard penalty followd by a great goal by striker Peter Crouch, who expertly controlled a cross from half-time substitute Beckham before volleying the equalizer.
Croatia, though, continued to look dangerous and won it in the 77th-minute when substitute Mladen Petric lashed in a shot from the edge of the box.
The Croatians will be among the second seeds when the draw for the finals is made in Lucerne, Switzerland on December 2.