David Beckham Thread

off ACMILAN.COM

HE CHOSE MILAN
10/22/2008 1:21:00 PM
If 65,000 spectators go to watch the match against Sampdoria, it means that people like Milan. And the arrival of David Beckham will bring more fans rather than fewer ones. Here is Galliani and Ancelotti.

David Beckham was born in London on May 2nd 1975. English national team, currently plays for Los Angeles Galaxy, team of the Major League Soccer. Second in the Golden Ball award of 1999 and in the FIFA World Player 1999 and 2001. He's also one of the most famous and affirmed players in the world. Inserted by Pele in the FIFA 100, the list of the best players ever. In 2007 he ended up being in the list of the most influential celebrities in the world of Forbes, whereas the Time will place him in the Time 100 Heroes & Icons. Beckham is also one of the few English players to have played 100 games with the shirt of his national team of whom he was a captain for 58 games, from November 15th 2000 up to July 2nd 2006.

This is what Adriano Galliani said about him this morning at the Malpensa airport: "Will he arrive? Yes, I think so. He will stay at Milan on loan for some month, we are talking about it with his agent. We shall register him for some months and then he will leave. Beckham has chosen Milan. Our team is very competitive and will remain so, but Beckham is something different and intriguing. Milan is not collecting cards, Milan is very proud of the policy it has. We are the only club going against the current: the people go to the stadium to watch Milan. It's not a coincidence that 65,000 people go to watch Milan-Sampdoria. [/b]If the 65,000 go to the stadium, it means that Milan is a product which they like. Beckham will most likely bring more fans rather than fewer ones to the stadium."[/b]

And this is what Carlo Ancelotti said about David Beckham: "For me it will be a pleasure. Beckham is a serious athlete, a great professional. If he will be available for four months with us, we will be very happy. If he will be available for Milan, he will evidently be both for Italy and Europe."

all about money. If we are to be fair, i cant necessarily be that upset. If he was the centerpeice of our summer rebuild, i'd be beyond pissed, but as a loan january addition. It is what it is, i wouldnt ask for it. But reailty is, the more money milan makes, the more we can spend on players... and wont have to nickle and dime signings. If beckham makes milan money, and helps us tour asia and us (PLEASE US!) than i'll live with it

madtherchot said:

Well I haven't watched him at all in the MLS. Just saw a few clips of his first goal + some assists. Thats about it. I think the fact that he has played at such high levels + now has to make do with the MLS is a contributing factor. But you still cannot turn a blind eye to that period when his career seemed to be done and dusted, yet he someone managed to claw back into Madrid's starting XI + play a crucial role in winning La Liga.

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Nobody put a gun to his head making him go to the MLS. He decided to take a ridiculous amount of money and take on the role as ambassador of soccer in the US.

The league IS inferior to most in Europe but it's one he chose to play in and his team finished second to last. I'm not an idiot, I understand it takes more than one quality player to win no matter what level of football is being played, but you're asking me not to turn a blind eye to what he did a few years ago when, in a sense, you're turning a blind eye to what he's been doing for the past 2 years. He couldn't care less about the team that handed him the keys to their franchise.

Look, he seems like a nice enough guy from everything I've seen. I'm not trying to say he's evil or anything. I'm just not ready to say his character, integrity, and ethics are flawless when lately he's only been concerned with getting as many English caps and being the face of football around the world. Take my word for it, his effort on the field while wearing an LA Galaxy jersey has been FAR INFERIOR to the effort he's put forth while wearing the Three Lions.

i don't know how much debt the club has... but if there is some and if Berlu has been trying to settle all debts (which would explain the tight purse of the past transfers), then, i'll be really happy.

Though, if it is for anything less...

drucurl said:

I didn't vote on the poll because as Madtherchot said Berlu isn't a dumbass and he knows very well what he's doing.

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Huh? Come again? I hope I'm not being accused of something ...

zZ[-_-]Zz said:

Ah, I see. You meant FattyFagnaldo who digs chicks-with-dicks. You should have been more specific.

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I've been trying to be behave myself as the rhetorical name callings and back-and-forth insults are becoming old. However, such creativity as eloquent as 'chixie dicks' should generally be considered as good humor + acceptable

Diavolo_7: I am still not at all pleased with his signing. There are a lot of options that could have bettered our on-pitch performance that I would have preferred. But we've all discussed + somehow understand what our management's intentions were for signing him, and so, now we'll just have to wait and see what actually materializes + learn more about the management from it. One thing is certain ... we've certainly taken a different approach of late. The signings of Zambro, Flams, Bori and Dinho are a step forward towards a rejuvenation of sorts, and rather smart, I might add, in comparison to other top clubs. We spent a lot more than we usually do last summer, and this too when not playing in Europe's premier competition. So looking for alternative resources isn't a worst case scenario, as long as it is just a phase + we move onto bigger things accordingly.

As some pointed out, perhaps the motivation for playing at a club as big as Milan (audiences, top players, coaching staff, etc.) + for somethings he hasn't won before (Scudetto + Uefa Cup) might just bring more out of him than while at LA. Yes he may have played poorly for LA, but I believe (and correct me if I'm wrong) that his main purpose was to give the MLS, as a whole, more publicity ... something which has been a success. Whether it proves as efficient in Italy remains to be seen. And yes he does love playing for England ... and that should motivate him further to impress Capello at Milan.

WILD: I take it you're a bit smitten by Becks? I didn't envision that ... I always was under the impression you fancied quick explosive players ... or players with a lot of trickery, dribbles, the fancy stuff ala Chixie Dicks, Dinho, Ronaldo, Oli, etc. That and the hardcore workhorses ala Flams, Gattuso, Essien, Emerson . I am so certain of your liking the first group of players that I am even under the impression that you like Dinho more than Kaka'. So why Becks? He doesn't suite either type of player ... care to comment?

Az. said:

Yeah well i just saw it on the official site

p.s: tanks!

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Only joking mate.

madtherchot said:

WILD: I take it you're a bit smitten by Becks? I didn't envision that ... I always was under the impression you fancied quick explosive players ... or players with a lot of trickery, dribbles, the fancy stuff ala Chixie Dicks, Dinho, Ronaldo, Oli, etc. That and the hardcore workhorses ala Flams, Gattuso, Essien, Emerson . I am so certain of your liking the first group of players that I am even under the impression that you like Dinho more than Kaka'. So why Becks? He doesn't suite either type of player ... care to comment?

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He is on loan so no harm.
I would b pissed if we wasted money on buyin him same as I was when Milan bought Ronaldo that I only wanted if he is free.
So I think he might help us coz we dont have any right flanker & I always pointed that.
He either help us or sit aside , as many think , its a win-win situation specially when its known that we wont sign other options.

About Kaka u r wrong.
I wouldnt trade any player 4 him.
The best of Dinho vs the best of Kaka -- > Dinho was better.
But Kaka is younger + more professional so ........... Kaka all the way.

drucurl said:

If utilized probably (i.e. for marketing and dead ball skills and to get Gattuso to not look like wolverine) the transfer would be a success because don't look now but a lot of Asia just became hard core rossoneri

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Lol. I like a scruffy ragged Gattuso who looks like he is ready to wrestle someone to the ground... it adds something to be afraid of in our midfield. You know I won't be surprised to see more Rossoneri jerseys here in LA... it wouldn't shock me for a bit.

Does that mean I'm happy about that? I don't know but I think the other motive was to increase Milan's scope into other countries... ultimately, despite my initial resistance, I think I understand why they did it.

He also doesn't satisfy our need for genuine pace. Meaning that Kaka and Pato would have all the burden of our thus far non-existant counter attack. I didn't vote on the poll because as Madtherchot said Berlu isn't a dumbass and he knows very well what he's doing. For those that call Carlo a pussy for accepting Beckham....what do you want him to do? retire mid season and leave the team to fend for themselves with Becks a potential threat since a new manager would tend to view everyone more or less as equals?

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I don't think Beckham would be used all that much. He is not unseating anyone on the field.

Just imagine if Seedorf was asked to sit on the bench.

Yeah right.

We are more deeply in the red than the figures are made public, I guess.

Anybody know which months are we talking about starting from January?

Jasper said:

We are more deeply in the red than the figures are made public, I guess.

Anybody know which months are we talking about starting from January?

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January through to April.

Jasper said:

We are more deeply in the red than the figures are made public, I guess.

Anybody know which months are we talking about starting from January?

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I don't think we're that deep in the red at all. At least not compared to other teams in the Serie A, and certainly not those in the Premier League.

Either way, business is a business and there needs to be more revenues raised as that's the bottom line. Beckham could accomplish that. As far as the field, I think he could potentially be a hindrance.

good for bidness which u cant knock, its all about money nowadays. but i think he can be useful, puttin in amazin crosses for all our strikers who r all good at headin and we will be even better at set pieces. hes also a worker so he can do a bit of a gattuso job and he can also go forward a player we havent got so he can be a good loan signin.

why???

madtherchot said:

Diavolo_7: I am still not at all pleased with his signing. There are a lot of options that could have bettered our on-pitch performance that I would have preferred. But we've all discussed + somehow understand what our management's intentions were for signing him, and so, now we'll just have to wait and see what actually materializes + learn more about the management from it. One thing is certain ... we've certainly taken a different approach of late. The signings of Zambro, Flams, Bori and Dinho are a step forward towards a rejuvenation of sorts, and rather smart, I might add, in comparison to other top clubs. We spent a lot more than we usually do last summer, and this too when not playing in Europe's premier competition. So looking for alternative resources isn't a worst case scenario, as long as it is just a phase + we move onto bigger things accordingly.

As some pointed out, perhaps the motivation for playing at a club as big as Milan (audiences, top players, coaching staff, etc.) + for somethings he hasn't won before (Scudetto + Uefa Cup) might just bring more out of him than while at LA. Yes he may have played poorly for LA, but I believe (and correct me if I'm wrong) that his main purpose was to give the MLS, as a whole, more publicity ... something which has been a success. Whether it proves as efficient in Italy remains to be seen. And yes he does love playing for England ... and that should motivate him further to impress Capello at Milan.

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Don't get me wrong, I'm not losing my mind over this by any means. It's a 4-month loan that costs the team nothing in dollars so in that sense he can only help. I was simply reacting to some of the comments here that were painting him to be someone of unmatched integrity and will to win.

You are right that the major reason the Galaxy/MLS brought Beckham to the US was to generate interest, publicity, and revenue for the league. He did all of that just by putting on a pretty smile, holding up a LA Galaxy jersey, and doing any and all interviews requested (as long as the questions were scripted to his liking). That was the easy part. But he was also expected to bring interest to the sport and he said himself countless times that a big reason why he chose to play in the MLS was because he wanted the challenge of trying to help make soccer more popular in the US. I heard and watched him say that but then I saw him on the pitch and he certainly wasn't playing like he wanted to improve the level of play or increase the level of interest.

I don't doubt he'll play better playing in a country where football comes first and he's surrounded by world-class footballers, coaches, facilities, etc. It just bothers me to see a signing or acquisition that has A LOT more to do with PR and marketing than it does with actual on-field results.

But hey, I heard AC Milan mentioned on ESPN today which doesn't happen very often. Maybe Milan will become "America's Team".

Diavolo_7 said:

But hey, I heard AC Milan mentioned on ESPN today which doesn't happen very often. Maybe Milan will become "America's Team".

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This is awful! It's bad news after bad news.

zZ[-_-]Zz said:

Ah, I see. You meant FattyFagnaldo who digs chicks-with-dicks. You should have been more specific.

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I think your and madtherchot's ability to turn anything into a hatefest must be classed as a superpower because no matter how far away the topic is you bring it back to R9

Anyway back on topic....with Becks leaving the Galaxy (sadly not the Milky Way one ) and coming here we might be able to cut into a bigger slice of the U.S. market. As for his taking Pirlo's role.....to me the ONLY things Becks is better than Pirlo at are crossing, passing and free-kicks. Pirlo can (maybe I should say "used to" ) organise the entire midfield, he can dribble past his man, makes GREAT interceptions and is better defensively than Becks. So unless we deploy him as an out and out winger and give poor Zambrotta the umpleasant task of covering his ass I can't see much more footballing use for him.

You know he could work well in maybe the UEFA Cup or Coppa Italia... and lesser domestic matches... to give Pirlo more rest...

Speculation according to English media:
- Beckham will remain under contract with LA Galaxy and arrive on a free loan (under negotiation) for only a few months.
- Galliani have consulted with Capello and Baldini; both have vouched for Beckham as a positive influence on the pitch and in the dressing-room.
- Victoria and the kids will remain in LA during the loan period and this would indicate that Beckham will only stay till the end of the season.
- Milan would make at least £10m from marketing deals.

A positive I see from this is that the MLS season would end soon, so it is unlikely Beckham will be at his best fitness to really play any considerable amount of time for Milan at any given game. A 5 minute cameo time to time would be fine. I just hope we make more than £10m.

zZ[-_-]Zz said:

Speculation according to English media:
- Beckham will remain under contract with LA Galaxy and arrive on a free loan (under negotiation) for only a few months.
- Galliani have consulted with Capello and Baldini; both have vouched for Beckham as a positive influence on the pitch and in the dressing-room.
- Victoria and the kids will remain in LA during the loan period and this would indicate that Beckham will only stay till the end of the season.
- Milan would make at least £10m from marketing deals.

A positive I see from this is that the MLS season would end soon, so it is unlikely Beckham will be at his best fitness to really play any considerable amount of time for Milan at any given game. A 5 minute cameo time to time would be fine. I just hope we make more than £10m.

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Man if that prediction turns true ,then its really good news..especially the bold part.

And 10 mil sounds nice,but 20 would be better...good for the transfer kit in the summer.

Good lord, for crying out loud who's next - R.Baggio?

Welcome Becks.....

deepa_316 said:

good for bidness which u cant knock, its all about money nowadays. but i think he can be useful, puttin in amazin crosses for all our strikers who r all good at headin and we will be even better at set pieces. hes also a worker so he can do a bit of a gattuso job and he can also go forward a player we havent got so he can be a good loan signin.

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Good for business, bad for football and the team IMO.
And beckham really cant tackle, or head for that matter, or use his left foot, or take players on and he has no pace, none, wot sort of winger is he?
Personally i think this is pathetic. Milan has become a media donkey. i think its sad, if he took gattuso role, i think i would suggest titus bramble for nesta's job.

Wot a complete and utter joke

P.s
I agree with a lot of wot u and others are saying. Sadly money is wot football is all about now, and im sure he will make us some money, but for the team, i dont think he will do anything.
And do we need a 33 yr old midfielder, its prob the one area of the team that has plenty of cover.
And Milan havent had a real winger for a long time, its so obviously a media stunt, it stinks, i really dont like it

Mr Fella said:

Good for business, bad for football and the team IMO.
And beckham really cant tackle, or head for that matter, or use his left foot, or take players on and he has no pace, none, wot sort of winger is he?
Personally i think this is pathetic. Milan has become a media donkey. i think its sad, if he took gattuso role, i think i would suggest titus bramble for nesta's job.

Wot a complete and utter joke

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Come on... he may not even play all that much. He may not be all that bad for the team... it isn't about being a media donkey. That's one thing Milan will never be...

At most he'll play some Coppa Italia matches...

But still I get where you're coming from and I've had my issues with this. If it gets us money though for other transfers, fine by me.

And he'll only be at Milan for 6 months.

Who wanna bet that he b useful (football wise) ?

Wild said:

Who wanna bet that he b useful (football wise) ?

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I'm in, just for the sake of betting. Personally I think he'll do fine most of the time he spends with us.

So, what's on the table? Rahja's mum tits? Your car?

Marcus said:

I'm in, just for the sake of betting. Personally I think he'll do fine most of the time he spends with us.

So, what's on the table? Rahja's mum tits? Your car?

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That never gets old

Diavolo_7 said:

But hey, I heard AC Milan mentioned on ESPN today which doesn't happen very often. Maybe Milan will become "America's Team".

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Yeah, this news was also mentioned in ESPN Asia last nite. Then they showed the picture of Ancelotti with his comment about the proposed loan. But what enraged me is what is written under the picture : CARLOS Ancelotti - AC Milan Coach. Stupid

I was replying to this when a freak lighting hit here (seriously the lighting sounded, not the thunder, the lightning).

Jasper said:

We are more deeply in the red than the figures are made public, I guess.

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Which makes me angry. We won the CL + CWC just last year, we probably should've gain lots of money in the past years just for advancing in Europe (I don't know if the Supercup gives you money), we got a huge amount of money when we sold Sheva (by now we should've collected), we have spend little in the market since 03 (maybe just this season, but it's peanuts compare to what the rest of the big teams payed), we sold players with losses, but not HUGE losses, we sold some gusy with gains, we bought Ronaldinho and Ronaldo and both supposly sold lots of shirts (and I'm assuming Kaka also sells a lot + I'm also guessing we at least have the image rights of him or some of the big names in the team), there's the abbonamenti that in the past 2 years have been huge, supposly we didn't end in red numbers 2 years ago (which IMO is bad, cause having superavits is usually not recomended when you work with a budget), yes maybe we are overpaying some payrolls, but is it that bad? And b) aren't those numbers supposed to be real when they are made public otherwise isn't it corruption?

The north of this management is completly lost, specially if they think that by only having Beckham for 4 months loan we're going to get Asia + US markets crazy. Mostly because Beckham is likely to go before May to play the friendlies with his team to Asia (I'm assuming it's part of his contract) which is going to be the one that will get the market (and that team also plays in the US so is the one that is getting the US market). It would've been kind of honorable if we would let him stay with us to be fit, and all.

As a note, I don't think Beckham sucks, for me there was a reason he played in a team like ManU and there's a reason why Sir Alex debuted him and played and there's a reason why the England NT (as much as it sucks for most people) debuted him when he was kind of young. I just don't think it's right, and I think this is giving the idea that Milan is nothing more than a circus that wants to get all the has beens. And it's like we are just waiting that E! decides to make a reality show about Beckham in Milan to sell ourselves.

On another note, I don't hate Victoria, I was a huge Spice Girls fan when I was 9-12, I have (had cause a friend of my totally stole it) their CD, and still get excited when I hear their songs, cheesy I know. And when me + my friends sang, I said I was Victoria till they told me she was the tranny. So it's not about her either.

crazy4milan said:

aren't those numbers supposed to be real when they are made public otherwise isn't it corruption?

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Of course they are but fiscal matters are tricky. It's an art itself and if the accountant is good he/she can paint a whole new picture. Being too much in the red is definetly a very bad sign for marketing as well as to investors so a little cosmetics there is probably done in every club who is in red. And I believe our wages overall are beyond though I don't believe the figures given by gazzetta blindly.

So if he comes I can do nothing more than greet the man - Welcome Becks

I really don't think we're that much into the red. We did not spend much last transfer season...

@crazy4milan

elections were held this year, so no doubt we are in red. cant compete for a class player, cant even get ivanovic or adebeyor forget sergio ramos boruc adebeyor or fab, get santacros lol beckham is shit

Pirlo>>>>> Beckham.