David Beckham

[Crustanoid]

Top top player. I actually think he is underrated in our history, probably due to his off-pitch fame. Just been watching old footage (remembering happier times) and he was so consistent, and a key part of our relentless success during those times. His touch and distribution set him apart as a very unique and special player. I think because we had so much quality in the side he doesn't always get mentioned as much as he might do amongst United fans as one of our great players.

 

[Raees]

I always considered him more important to us than Giggs at his peak and one of our 'go to' players under pressure. But the narrative is that he did well with what little ability he had which I find amusing.

 

[KM]

Anyone doubting Beckham's quality should watch season review of our treble season. Just incredible the level of quality and consistency in his crosses.

 

[devil in me]

Brilliant player. Watch 'the treble' DVD and that just shows how class he was. I also feel that he was underrated.

@KM beat me to it.

 

[Crustanoid]

I think, for a period of 2-3 years around that time, he genuinely was one of the worlds best players.

We owe so much to him for his contribution to our success

 

[Jcrossley94]

Watching Beckham compilations is the ultimate masterclass in how to kick a football, the kind of level you get only from sheer dedication and hard work. Anyone else get major goosebumps watching that free kick he scored against Greece to get us into the WC ? "Beckham could raise the roof here with a goal" "I dont believe it" Unbelievable stuff.

Although a special mention has to be made to Gary Neville when talking about Beckham, his overlapping definitely helped Beckham play at the level he did for us.

 

[Reynoldo]

Best crosser of the ball in the game I think, for that reason alone he has to go down as one of the greats.

 

[redtilded121]

It's the consistency of the high quality that made him stand out

 

[Thisistheone]

Amazing player and like the rest have said, that Treble winning season he was unreal. So much bottle to come back from the World Cup red card and being a national villain.

Hard to say if he was more or less valuable than the other 3 in midfield. The beauty was they all offered something completely different. Giggs had the pace and ability to beat a man but Beckham had that crossing and set-piece delivery. All 4 had incredible work-rate as well.

 

[Rams]

Had he had a couple of yards extra pace he probably would have been one of the very best. Still, a very good player who made the most of the abilities he had. A fantastic career without doubt.

 

[Lynty]

Would have been a crucial player in at any club in the world, and he did as good job as any of proving this.

Massively underrated by 90% of football fans. Still yet to see a player who could deliver a cross or kick a dead ball as good as Beckham, and what he lacked in technical ability he made up for with one of the best worth ethics i've ever seen

 

[TheRedDevil'sAdvocate]

Beckham belongs in a special category of footballers who managed to build a wonderful career around a particular ability or skill while their overall game couldn't be described as world class.

Whenever you think of a right winger, the first things that spring to mind is the ability to get past defenders, either by raw pace or by dribbling, high energy levels and driving runs into the opposition third. Beckham rarely beat his marker, he would rarely get into positions at the back post where he could attack a ball being crossed from the left and he never was the player to run up and down the whole pitch for 90 minutes. He never possessed such qualities, yet he managed to become a top class right midfielder and an integral part of one of United's best sides in history.

His biggest asset was his right foot and IMHO he had the sweetest right foot in football over the last 30 years or so. Becks could spot a runner fifty or sixty meters in front of him and still deliver a pass to the player's feet with pint point accuracy. He could cross the ball like nobody I have ever seen, i believe he could aim for a single hair on the forward's head and still find his target. His free kicks were unbelievable, he could pass the ball through the eye of a needle. His ability on set pieces made him a nightmare for any opponent in dead ball situations and the quality of his crosses invited positive forward runs from the rest of the attackers and the midfielders. Wonderful first touch and able to play one touch football too.

What his off the pitch fame may have undermined over the years is how clever he was on the pitch and how hard he worked in order to reach the highest level. His positioning made up for his lack of pace. He knew he could hit the ball from any distance and therefore he always used his brain to find open spaces on the right wing to cross or pass the ball. Here have a taste...


He also knew that he couldn't beat defenders with pace, so he had worked to perfection this one little touch of the ball before the cross. The one that would give him the one and only second he needed to find enough space and time for his cross. But my personal favourite was when everyone expected a drill cross from him but instead of that he just whipped the ball into the box and the bend on the ball took it away from the keeper.

At the end of the day, i will always be glad i watched him throughout his whole career because footballers like him are becoming a rarity in modern football. The pace of football matches is increasing year after year and most professional footballers look like track and field athletes more than anything else, raw pace, physicality and stamina, good acceleration to win a few meters on the pitch. As a result most players don't think on the field. But not players like Beckham, players who know what to do and when's the right moment to do it.

Beckham brought style and finesse in the game during his playing years and i will always believe that managers should make room in their teams for players such as him. Because there will always come a time when you'll need something special, "a Beckham special"...

 

[2 man midfield]

Beckham-Keane-Scholes-Giggs

What a midfield.

 

[dcullivanio]

Anyone doubting Beckham's quality should watch season review of our treble season. Just incredible the level of quality and consistency in his crosses.

I agree. The Treble DVD just shows how good his service was. Pinpoint crosses into Dwight and Coley aplenty. Nobody crosses the ball like that these days.

 

[izzydiggler]

Beckham is the best example to any young player of what can be achieved through hard work.

Although talented, I disagree with the OP and think he's somewhat overrated, certainly not amongst the world's best but his crossing especially was a vital part of our side, especially in that 99 side. It's a shame he left but what a great career he had.

Although I can't stand the celebrity/fame game that is part of him and his 'brand', he does come across a genuinely nice guy though and he's a great ambassador for the sport and club.

 

[The Red Thinker]

Beckham-Keane-Scholes-Giggs

What a midfield.

A truly amazing midfield that. Each player brings something special and different.

 

[Jed I. Knight]

Beckham rarely beat his marker, he would rarely get into positions at the back post where he could attack a ball being crossed from the left and he never was the player to run up and down the whole pitch for 90 minutes. He never possessed such qualities, yet he managed to become a top class right midfielder and an integral part of one of United's best sides in history.

Is that accurate? I always think of him as having absolutely top notch endurance, and utilizing it for all it was worth.

 

[LawCharltonBest]

Beckham was nowhere near as into the side attraction (advertising etc) as Messi is today, but it was so new then. Shame it ultimately lead to his sale. It wouldn't these days

 

[JohnnyKills]

I think he is under-rated because most people assume he was over-rated, if that makes sense. People think someone so famous couldn't have been that good; he's become more of a personality than a sports star. The common assumption seems to be that his on-pitch success was driven by his looks and commercial appeal.

For me he was a very good player, but not a great one. In 98-99 he was amazing, and for a couple of years either side of that, but you can't compare him to someone like Figo or Giggs. As Best once said, he had no pace, no left foot and couldn't beat a man with tricks. He made the absolute best of himself but his limitations preclude his inclusion in the very top bracket of players in my mind.

 

[m1y2]

I love becks, he's the reason why I always played with no7 and started to support United but I dont think he was anywhere near to Scholes

 

[TheRedDevil'sAdvocate]

Is that accurate? I always think of him as having absolutely top notch endurance, and utilizing it for all it was worth.

In his first seasons yes, he could run up and down the pitch throughout the 90 minutes. After that, he really benefited from having Gary Neville, who was excellent in his defensive duties, at right back. Now that i see it again "never" is a bit harsh indeed but i was talking more about his tracking back duties and not his overall game.

 

[SteveJ]

For such a star, and such an easy-going person, it's a real credit to David that his determination and drive burned like a furnace - given his celebrity, he could've easily been tempted to just stroll around the pitch moaning at not being given the ball every few minutes.

 

[Garethw]

I always considered him more important to us than Giggs at his peak and one of our 'go to' players under pressure. But the narrative is that he did well with what little ability he had which I find amusing.

He was far more consistent than Giggs.

 

[JohnnyKills]

He was far more consistent than Giggs.

Yeah but Giggs scaled higher peaks. He could destroy the best defences in a way Beckham couldn't. As you say though, Beckham was more consistently productive (and I seem to recall him playing a lot more regularly than Giggs, who was rotated quite a lot at the end of the 90s).

 

[JohnnyKills]

Beckham was nowhere near as into the side attraction (advertising etc) as Messi is today, but it was so new then. Shame it ultimately lead to his sale. It wouldn't these days

In the United of 2016 it would be positively encouraged.

 

[devil in me]

Beckham-Keane-Scholes-Giggs

What a midfield.

The Definition of balance.

 

[BringNaniBack]

Watching Beckham compilations is the ultimate masterclass in how to kick a football, the kind of level you get only from sheer dedication and hard work. Anyone else get major goosebumps watching that free kick he scored against Greece to get us into the WC ? "Beckham could raise the roof here with a goal" "I dont believe it" Unbelievable stuff.

Although a special mention has to be made to Gary Neville when talking about Beckham, his overlapping definitely helped Beckham play at the level he did for us.

Definitely get goosebumps watching the Greece free kick but I just had to say the commentary which you mentioned "Beckham could raise the roof here with a goal" "I dont believe it" was the worst commentary you could have chosen, it was so mundane for such an amazing moment. Other commentaries on the goal were much better.

 

[BringNaniBack]

Massively underrated player. People forget how good he actually was because of his fame outside the game.

 

[Jcrossley94]

Definitely get goosebumps watching the Greece free kick but I just had to say the commentary which you mentioned "Beckham could raise the roof here with a goal" "I dont believe it" was the worst commentary you could have chosen, it was so mundane for such an amazing moment. Other commentaries on the goal were much better.

but it's soooo iconic! It's always what I think of when I think of that goal... Could have been a lot worse too though.. Imagine Owen commenting on it.

Also, I don't think I've ever heard different commentary on it, have you got a link to a different version?

 

[.Rossi]

1999 would never have happened without him. He was outstanding that season. Him and Keane that year were ridiculous

 

[Wumminator]

Great player.
The worst out of the midfield four posted above.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Would kill to have him now on our right side. My favourite player.

 

[MadDogg]

Great player.
The worst out of the midfield four posted above.

Depends. If you look at the time of that midfield's peak (the treble and following season), he was better than Scholes and Giggs at the time. Scholes was still generally rotating with Butt and it wasn't for another season or two (as Keane and Becks started to drop away) that Scholes started hitting his peak. And Giggs wasn't as good as Beckham those seasons. During the treble season, Beckham was second only to Keano and maybe Stam in importance to the team.

Indeed, it's probably an unpopular opinion but I'd say Beckham for those couple of seasons was better than Giggs ever was over a similar amount of time. Obviously for the vast majority of their long careers Giggs was better and he'll rightfully go down as the better player, but I think Beckham for those two or three seasons simply had a consistency that Giggs was never able to match. Of course, there's very very few players and especially wingers would could.

 

[clarkydaz]

Beckham was nowhere near as into the side attraction (advertising etc) as Messi is today, but it was so new then. Shame it ultimately lead to his sale. It wouldn't these days

really disagree with that. Beckham pursued fame and became the poster boy for what is possible for footballers now. That's the difference between us then and now, Fergie kicked him out for it, now he would be Woodward's wet dream

 

[gerdm07]

Too many people think his game was defined by his crossing, they don't recognize that he had a superb first touch and he was a wonderful at passing whether long or short. He could turn a tight situation where just keeping possession would be good into a good attacking situation with one incisive pass.

 

[Randall Flagg]

Beckham was nowhere near as into the side attraction (advertising etc) as Messi is today, but it was so new then. Shame it ultimately lead to his sale. It wouldn't these days

His performances dipped considerably and there was constant rumours his wife wanted a move to a nice city

Ferguson ultimately did the right thing as it was a distraction at the time

 

[Successful]

I think he made many mistakes with his products. If you look at his range of perfumes I wouldn't say any of them would be used on a night out. He's been aiming at 14-18 year olds and that has taken some of the luxury appeal away from his name. Also most of his clothes have been a big disappointment as he's been in the "affordable" section.

He had the chance to take his brand really far, but I don't think he's going anywhere now. Guys like David Beckham have a very limited window to establish a name that will be iconic and I'm afraid that time is up now. And even if he's still got some credit to his name I believe it's too late to position himself. He wanted quantity and fast cash instead of quality, fame and a nice income in the long run. Either way, fair play to him for not acting like something he's not.

 

[Randall Flagg]

Massively underrated player. People forget how good he actually was because of his fame outside the game.

Nowadays he actually might be a little underated which is funny as during his playing days he was overrated to the extreme

 

[We need an rvn]

I think, for a period of 2-3 years around that time, he genuinely was one of the worlds best players.

We owe so much to him for his contribution to our success

yet sadly so many all they seem to remember is Posh, the "boot incident", "that" freekick against Real. agree, his contribution is in a degree hugely underestimated, but if you were at the Unicef match a few months back a lot do appreciate his love for the club and what he brought to our game...wish the guy was at our club teaching the kids how to pass / kick and his love for United would rub off.

 

[Billy Blaggs]

A truly amazing midfield that. Each player brings something special and different.

I think that's the key. If one didn't beat you then you still had three other arrows in the bow.