Wednesday, January 17, 2007

owen hargreaves tells what he thinks surrounding beckham move to US





David Beckham's decision to leave Real Madrid for America caused a bit of shock in some quarters.
However, it was not a surprise to me at all. If you look at Becks and what he has achieved at Manchester United and Real Madrid I think this is a good step for him.
I have played with him for a number of years and one thing about him is he loves a challenge.
He showed that when he left Manchester United for Real Madrid. He went to Spain to experience how football is abroad.
I think it is commendable that people take on these new challenges rather than sticking with a comfortable situation.
Becks still wants to achieve a lot in his career and has set himself goals - this is probably one of them.



I am close to Becks but it is not something we have discussed before - he had a contract with Real after all.
But what he brings to a league that is not that popular at the moment is a big name and he is going to be hugely influential.
It also opens the door for others to go over there and play and I am sure you will see some other star players commit their future to MLS.
There are a lot of players who have gone to play in Qatar or Dubai but personally I think it would be more interesting to be a part of something potentially big being built.
There is a lot of potential there, it just needs people like Becks to promote it.
He is going to be a massive figure, not only in football circles over there but the sporting world. I think he will create a lot of excitement that will be good for the league.
He already has that profile in the rest of the world.
A lot of people in North America - such as my parents who went to Canada from England - have moved there from around the world, like the Italians, Spanish or South Americans.
They are football fans because they grew up with it, so there is an audience there for football.
Everyone knows Becks, whether they are a football fan or not.
So he is going to bring a lot more people to the games and a bigger fan base, not just the football enthusiasts or the kids but being global he will appeal for a lot of people.
The league has a lot to offer but at the moment it cannot compete with the European leagues financially, but when that changes it will be very interesting to other players.
Towards the end of my career I could definitely see myself playing over there. It would be interesting especially as I grew up in North America and certainly something to think about.
Becks has had his share of ups and downs over the years but in sports there has never been a player that has constantly gone up and up.
What is so commendable is how he has come back from difficult times - there are a lot of people who have not.
People will be saying that this is the end of his England career but in football anything is possible.
It was only a few months ago that he was at the World Cup. But it comes down to what the team needs or what the manager picks.
Everyone knows when they watch Becks he still has a lot to offer, but it is difficult because there is such a great group of young talents coming through like Aaron Lennon - competition for places is so tough.
It has been different not having Becks around the England squad since the World Cup because he was part of the set-up for so long. He was such an influential figure, but now he is not there and the team needs to move on.
In football you do not always play with the same team. Injuries and suspensions happen so you get used to not having the same team and a good side needs to adapt.



John Terry has stepped up to be the captain and has done a good job so far.
I was a bit surprised by Real's announcement that Becks will not play for them again.
A contract is a contract - it is their decision what they want to do but it is possibly the first time I have heard of such a move.
Players coming to the end of their contract are allowed to sign a contract with any club in January - that is the rule.
At Bayern, Hasan Salihamidzic has just signed a deal with Juventus and I am sure he will play some games for us for the rest of the season
So only Real know the reasons for that but it seems a bit spiteful.
For Becks this is a new challenge and a new chapter. For anybody that doubts him, I predict Becks will probably have the last laugh.
I admire him for everything he has achieved and the way he has handled it - not many people could have withstood what he has gone through.
It takes a unique person and that is why he is a good example for people to look up to. I have had nothing but great experiences with him.




ive taken his quotes from BBC sport websites (thx to anna from beckham blogspot) and thinking again how he managed to stand up despite being knocked down here and there. i remember in 1998 WC when the whole england hated him for being sent off and made england packed early despite ppls prediction they were goin a smooth cruise. well, incidents happened and clearly he couldnt make things any different at that time. lets take a look on how unjustified wayne rooney was sent off during WC 06? no one ever treated rooney badly although his case was a bit similiar to becks case back in 98. as a captain, david beckham made it clear to public that 'crucifying' rooney wouldnt make things better in any way. i rarely heard such things came out from a national captain esp these days. he has done more than enough for real madrid and now, hes treated like hes nobody. real have taken half of his fortune and now they accusing him a failure? wait a minute. if beck had not agreed to share his fortune by 50%, real wouldnt be the richest club in europe, most probably, on earth. and gained a tv deal worth more than $ 1 billion less than 6 years! hello...welcome to the real world. im pretty sure if he hadnt signed the deal he would have been the most richest footballer in history considering his rising popularity in asia. not only taking his 'share' but real madrid also booting him off to vip box for the rest of the season. that also means, he will not play a single minute wearing real madrids jersey. ive read a couple of cases and clearly what capello has done to beck was horrible and inappropriate. henrik larsson signed a deal with a club in sweden (plus having press conference and wearing their jersey) but still played an important part in barcelonas remaining matches of last season. and now owen hargreaves saying the same case happened in his club bayern munich. a question remains here, on what ground real madrid chose not to let david beckham play till the remainder of his contract, which is june 30th 2007?. what capello has said in press conference didnt elaborate the whole meaning of what he said as losing passion to play as one has decided to sign with other team. as far as im concerned, beck is free to discuss his terms with other teams in january and he can choose either letting his club aware of another teams interest or keep it to himself. and if he did chose option no 2, the club hes currently in, should not be bother by his actions, except if he has done somethin illegally beforehand. ludicrous as it is, beck cant do nothin more except if he wants to leave early and let real loan him for less than 5 months to LA Galaxy but he will not receive his wages and other benefits in terms of euro, which means dime. whatever he chooses, we will not let him down and continue to support him all the way. perhaps by leaving real madrid he can gain somethin he never had before. if i am so disgusted and hurt by real madrid actions, i cant imagine how he and his family feels these days esp after reading comments from spain journalists. be strong beck we are still your no 1 fans!

No comments: