Beckham in rift prior to trade talks

well.... figures like $50million (just for the transfer fee paid to the CLUB!!) are being bandied about. and this most handsome of handsome athletes is saying "no way" to Barcelona.

NOw it seems Real Madrid is interested in him. causing another wrinkle. see the article link from El Mundo (of Spain) with a greatpic of Beck.

El Mundo \"si el Madrid quiere a Beckham....\"

El padre de Beckham habla

[ June 12, 2003, 09:52 AM: Message edited by: ung ]

Well...... it looks like Florentino Perez, the Real Madrid president, is continuing to follow in the footsteps of one of Real Madrid's top presidents, Santiago Bernabeu. Each year, Senor Bernabeu would bring in one of the world's top stars....it certainly worked, delievering Real 5 European Champions Cups in a row. Now with Perez, we had Figo in 2000, Zidane in 2001, Ronaldo in 2002, now Beckham in 2003?
We can only hope.

whoops my bad two of the same posts in a row I;m sorry

Remember, you can edit or delete erroneous posts as needed.

This sale, or trade, or whatever--better not happen until after Beckham plays in the first-ever event to be held at the new Lincoln Financial Field (yes, the Eagles' new stadium will be broken in by soccer, and then some Springsteen concerts, before the NFL). This might be my only chance to meet a Spice Girl!

Who cares about the Spice Girl! I want the Spice BOY!

I have mixed feelings about Real Madrid's interest in Beck though.
They are already dominant in the most competitive liga in the world. They have superstar players out the wazoo. How are they gonna fir in another supersized star with a supersized ego demanding supersized spotlight? Will Ronaldo take a back seat? Will Zizou stay in the shadows as a backup singer? Will Luis Figo become a role player?

It's not like I'm a raving fan of El Madrid. I don't have anything against them and do cheer for them often. But my heart lies with Osasuna (primera) and with Union Deportivo Las Palmas.

I have an English friend who is a Manchester United fan and de facto I'm a fan also. I'm not happy to see Beckham play elsewhere. I heard he has the right to accept or refuse the trade? He doesn't seem like someone who wants to go. I wonder if English football fans will be mad at him if he goes to another league.

I don't understand Spanish so I couldn't read the article from El Mundo. At least the image is in universal language! wink

Since ManU is playing FCBarcelona at the Lincoln Financial center opening, Beckham would be there regardless of whether it's with one team or the other.

Beckham hasn't said anything about signing yet and Joan LaPorta may be playing high stakes politics in making this announcement while he's a candidate for the the club presidency.

On top of that it's not clear whether Beck's injured wrist will allow him to play by then.

[ June 12, 2003, 08:24 PM: Message edited by: sportinlife ]

there's no high stakes. Beck has stated that he will NEVER play for Barca since Joan was using this gimmick to ensure his own election to head the team. and yes, Beckham has the right of refusal which he will exercise.

The stakes don't seem to derive from the possibility of Beck's playing for Barca so much as LaPorta being able to control whether he is able to go to Madrid or not.

Seems that he thinks by giving the impression that Madrid has to pass through him to get to Beckham, he gains stature in his candidacy.

Pretty macho stuff.

he first tried to make getting Beck at Barcelona contingent on his election and now this "back up plan" is trying to be worked out.

It's not macho stuff at all. It's someone trying to bluff by wagering something he doesn't even have. I mean.... he doesn't get to decide what Beckham does. It's really quite a stupid ploy on his part and he's getting major egg on his face.

[ June 13, 2003, 08:21 AM: Message edited by: ung ]

One Guardian reporter put the odds of Beckham going to Barcelona at 4/10 and to Real Madrid at 8/10. But I think he also put Milan at 6/10.

Apparently football fans (who go to the games) in Manchester wouldn't want to give 2/3's of what he's supposedly being offered to leave, in order to get him back. Only the casual fans, who know the image more than the game, want him for anywhere near that price. But if they control the money...?

Not having lived in, or visited either of the three cities, I like what I know of Barcelona. Beckham would probably have a better chance of making a real contribution on the field there as well.

But this guy LaPorta seems a bit sleazy. I wouldn't want to be beholden to him under any circumstance.


Recent options from the Guardian

BTW, it's not a trade, it's a transfer.

The English have an appalling record of transferring to continental clubs and doing absolutely nothing. Possibly Kevin Keegan at Hamburg is the only one who really flourished. IMHO, Beckham would be found out really quickly in Spain or Italy. He has no pace, he can't dribble the ball with any great skill and he's not a physical presence. He can cross the ball really well and take free kicks but I don't think that's enough for Real or Barca or Milan. I don't think it's a coincidence that Manchester United played better football with him out of the lineup at the end of the season. They weren't as one-dimensional with Skolsjaer playing wide right and they didn't just do the tired old pass it Becks and wait for him to lay a cross on a striker's boot thing.

That boot that Sir Alex Ferguson bonked him on the face with? Most likely not an accident. The Scotsman wants him to either cut back on his pop-star lifestyle or leave. So, right, leave it is then.

I got tickets to see Manchester United play Club America here in Los Angeles. I'm going to see Manchester United, not David Beckham, so I'm not bothered is he's there or not. The promoters on the other hand are probably having kittens about right now....

[ June 15, 2003, 10:52 PM: Message edited by: Jim Allen ]

He's going to Real Madrid. What a dumb move on his part. He was a big fish in a medium-sized pond in Manchester, now he'll be lucky to get a game. He's better than Luis Figo? Not in this world, he isn't.

I hope his shrew of a wife enjoys the shopping in Madrid.

At least all the British football sites I go to won't be nattering on and on and...about this. Now they can concentrate on more important matters such as: why did Everton keeper Richard Wright fall out of a loft at his parents house? Hmmmmm.....

Wonder how many people who bought tickets to the 4 sold-out games that Manchester United are playing here this summer will ask for refunds, now that he won't even be showing up with Barca? I don't care, Man Yoo still have an exciting team: Ruud van Nistleroy, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane and especially the young, cute Irishman John O'Shea are more than enough footballing compensation for the departed Brylcreem spokesman.

[ June 17, 2003, 03:01 PM: Message edited by: Jim Allen ]

So he's not coming to the Linc in August. Crap.

I'd be really upset if I had tickets for that game.

God, The amount of Ego in the Madrid lockerroom is enough to cause a super nova

I agree Ung and with all the talent they have, very much dissapointing team so far. very much under achievers, to many chiefs and not enough indians

Joe, if people bought tickets for that game that weren't football fans purely because they bought the hype about Beckham and his recent media blitz here, then they get what they deserve. A phrase with the words "f**k" and "off" in it springs to mind.

It's a baffling move, football wise, by Real. They need two central defenders who can replace the two statues currently playing there; it's why they got bumped out of the Champions League by a dreary, uncreative Italian team. I don't think Del Bosque wanted him, it was purely the marketing people who did. The prospect of selling expensive Real shirts with "77/Beckham" on it to star-struck Asian fans is a considerable part of the motivation. Of course, it's going to be tough to hype such an item when Beckham is going to be on the bench most of the time. At least he'll have Steve McManaman to talk to. It's the same reason that Manchester United teamed up with the Yankees marketing arm and are making the pre-season tour here, to "expand the brand consciouness" or somesuch marketing bullshit. I'm going to watch the team of Manchester United, whom I enjoy watching play, with or without Mr. Gay Icon. At least the vast majority of fans here in Los Angeles will be football fans, not celebrity hunters, because the majority will be there to support Club America.

BTW, Beckham's personal terms are 90,000 Euros/week, roughly $7.25 million a year. So, what, he'd be in the lower tax bracket in the NBA! When I told some Englishmen what our sportsmen make, one of them said "That's mad money".

Also, since he rejected Barca's personal terms, it's going to be very interesting when Real go to Camp Nou to play next year. Becks reception, if he plays, could be very interesting. In the Barca v. Real game this year, a pigs head was thrown on to the pitch. Of course, the question that never got answered was: If a supporter brought that in, what were the turnstile people doing?

[ June 18, 2003, 02:03 PM: Message edited by: Jim Allen ]

Don't worry. The fan probably explained the pigs head as his snack for the game. Oh those funny Catalans!!

anyways, what's simply amazing to me is how this story is being reported in the US media.

I mean... futbol (soccer) is no longer just a foreign sport. It is also enormously popular in the states as well. Why else do we call suburban middle classed women "soccer moms"?

So then when the networks report about the Becks-Madrid deal. They always prelude with "here's a story about someone you probably never heard of...."

Excuse me??? Aren't they grossly underestimating something here?

Anyway, good for Beckham. Hope he's happy there.

One things for sure. The weather's infinitely better in Madrid than in England. (In England, the only period of good weather seems to be a two week span in the middle of August.)
and the men are certainly hotter in Spain than in England.

I was discussing Beckham with my friends yesterday and I noted "Do you know how rare it is for an englishman to be so beautiful?"
It really is. Most handsome btits still have the long faced pasty look about them. Most hotties in London are irish or scotch.

Beckham is adjusting to his new rold. his wings are being clipped some both by his club and by his team mates.

Beckham's new role per the telegraph

Obviously Beckham walked into this deal with his eyes wide open. And I suspect he has enough money and image to tell them to piss-off if things get too restrictive. I suppose it all depends on what most suits his goals, so to speak.

There's a lot of gossip about how his wife Victoria influences things. Wonder how she'll respond to their new life.

Baby Brooklyn obviously didn't have a say. Celebrity kid "numero uno". Buena suerte poquito.

I've been to England 5 times, at every time of the year, and sure, it's not Ibiza, but you know, some of us don't want it be. The \"it rains 360 days out of the year in England\" myth is just that. Give me gray, cloudy skies and moderate temps vs. blazing, spirit sapping relentless heat any day.

Utter nonsense. I could name you 20 English players who are way better looking that Beckham, but whatever.

and these english players... are they really truly english? or are they irish, scotch or some other country or of immigrant blood?

Michael Owen, Red Scum, born Chester:


James Beattie, Southampton, born Lancaster:


Stuart Taylor, The Arse, born Romford:


And so on. I'm not going to do a trace of their ancestry to prove my point because we could then say that Tiger Woods isn't really an American if we used your criteria. I think your comment was silly, entitled to it though you are. Plus, I could post dozens of pictures of English actors, artists, guys I read their posts on message boards etc.It's like me saying "Give me an average, pasty skinned Englishman over any person of color"; it's my tastes in men, that's all. Again, some of us really, really, really like pasty, pale men.

Erm, anyways. I predict that Beckham'll be back in English football before his contract runs out, having spent most of his time on the bench at Real.

[ June 19, 2003, 08:02 PM: Message edited by: Jim Allen ]

I agree with Jim Allen... Beckham's going to be back in the Premiership in no time... (Most likely in a couple of years so that Real Madrid can benefit from his marketing potential and selling Real Madrid-Beckham jerseys!)

I see Beckham becoming like Steve McManaman. Unable to crack the Real Madrid lineup on a consistent basis, McManaman has languished on the bench, and kissed his national duties good-bye... Guess he enjoys the sun and 40 Celsius temperatures way too much!

I am a HUGE Man-U fan, but this deal made sense for the club. Becks is great at crossing, but otherwise is lacking in creativity. (Plus, his value is still relatively high at the moment.) Although I sometimes question the tyranny of Alex Ferguson (re: Jaap Staam's banishment), there's definite method to his madness! <Kicks soccer boot in your direction! Duck!!! >

I look forward to seeing who Fergie brings in this summer... There are SO MANY possiblities! (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Ronaldinho and the cutie, Harry Kewell!)

Hmmm....I dunno, I think Sir Alex got the Stamm thing right. The Dutchman hasn't exactly flourished since he left Old Trafford, has he? A ban for using performance-enhancing drugs, rows with the management of Lazio etc. They replaced him with Rio Ferdinand, so they didn't really suffer all that much. What Man Yoo need is a quicker, more agile central defender to pair up with Ferdinand, Laurent Blanc isn't going to do it, Wes Brown, though talented, seems to pick up injuries really easily and I don't think Mikael Silvestre has the physical presence to cope. John O'Shea has the height and the pace, but I think he works better linking up with Giggs on the left side. They actuall played Roy Keane in central defense for a bit and too bad he's too old to do it for good now, as certainly no one would risk getting their legs hacked out from under themselves by challenging him!

There's something like 600 players out of contract floating around England and plenty more on the continent but I don't know if there's someone of real quality in central defense that justifies spending the big money on.

BTW, Manchester United opens their 2003-04 season against Bolton at Old Trafford on August 16. I can't wait for the new season to begin.

Hey Jim Allen what are you doing posting in here..you're supposed to be doing your TAR recap, now GET BACK TO WORK! wink

And Real Madrid will definitely make some serious $$$ especially when they visit Japan. The Japanese are absolutely ape-sh*t over Becks. But then again, who isn't...Besides Jim Allen, that is.

I was just thinking of this before and I bet someone already said this but... Could Real Madrid be making this transfer just to keep Barcelona from doing it? It worked here and it appears to be working for keeping Ronaldinho out of Barca. What's next? Real making a deal with Portuguese playmaker Deco to keep him out of Barcelona too?

And some of us like ... variety! Not to be PC, but for the same reason I don't eat the same thing for lunch everyday. Mix it up! Vive la melange!

Danimal, nah, thanks, I'll stick with the Graham's from Scunthorpe, thanks very much!

MM13, that does seem to be a lot of the subtext of this transfer, Real saying "If Barca want those players, then so do we", doesn't it? Barca had a great run in the Champions League but they were a big disappointment in La Liga and management is under fierce pressure to do something to get Barca back on track (i.e. beat Real Madrid). The Spanish teams throw money around like it grows on trees but there's been rumors for a couple of years that the whole financial structure in Spain could collapse if the next TV contract isn't better or equal to the current deal.

And there's been stories that Mr. Posh Spice won't exactly get a rousing welcome at training camp, the current squad are rumbling about the money paid (usually translating in to "I want a raise"), where he'll play etc. In Spain, there are FOUR daily sports newspapers. The one based in Madrid prints about 20-25 pages A DAY about Real during the season, so obviously they have to write about something. Even the Noo Yawk tabloids don't write that much about the Yankees or Knicks. It could be fun to read the media reports coming out of Spain during the upcoming season. Phil Ball's weekly dispatches from Spain on Soccernet.com are superb.

Real Madrid coach Vincente del Bosque was fired today so at least he won't have to worry about where to slot in a player he didn't want. And here's the guy's resume in his 4 years: In four seasons he has steered the club to two European Cups, two domestic league titles, a European Super Cup and a World Club Cup. And American coaches in all sports whine about the pressure they're under.

[ June 23, 2003, 10:33 PM: Message edited by: Jim Allen ]

Yeah, the spanish in general are crazy about Futbol. And the madrilenos aree crazy about Real.

Of the papers, the one I read is El Mundo Deportivo in spanish or L'Equipe in french.

They're both excellent. Unless you're looking for basketball, american football or baseball.

More goings on from The world of Real Madrid.

The coach Del Bosque has been fired and replaced by one sexy motherXXX, Carlos Queiroz. Queiroz, interestingly enough, is not spanish but portugues and comes from Manchester United.

here's the link to the Real Madrid press release.

Look at his pics. He is so hot!!!

[ June 25, 2003, 01:52 PM: Message edited by: ung ]

Beckham had his physical yesterday (and damn, they didn't notify me -- and I was ready to go, rubber glove and all ) -- the BBC news that is rebroadcast on PBS here was all over it.

Here Beckham gets his flexibility tested. Man, he has big feet. You know what they say about big feet ... "Big feet ... big socks ..."

Closer examination of that big foot!

And this one, of Mrs. Spice Beckham, is for Gator Jamie (equal treatment under the law, dontcha know!)

[ July 02, 2003, 11:21 AM: Message edited by: DCBucky ]

Apparently they showed the whole damn physical on pay-per-view! Jay Leno said it should've been called "Bend Over Like Beckham".

(rim-shot!)

here's a link to pics of Beckham courtesy of El Mundo

Imagenes de Beckham

Muchas gracias ung!

vale vale vale