respect!

telegraph has an article (why David Beckham deserves more respect for Milan adventure) written by Jeremy Wilson talking about David Beckham's achievement this past years. while everyone seems enjoying themselves sitting by the bar and mocking him like mad, David Beckham trains really hard on the pitch to prove himself that he can still run for miles. this man, Jeremy Wilson has made his point really clear and i agree with him 100%. why do people always laugh at him whenever he wants to play football? after he has joined AC Milan late last year, more people were racing against each other to grab this opportunity to laugh at him, especially the media. Jeremy seems to understand Becks point of view as a footballer, therefore he doesn't complain against his decision to enter Milan's training ground, instead he applauded him as a dedicated player. i agree with Jeremy here; it is far too often to find aggressive and arrogant players these days. but the one such as David Beckham? genuine diamond indeed. i will give a quote from Becks current manager, Carlo Ancelotti; "

I have trained a lot of players, but one as professional in their attitude as Beckham is hard to find.

'That's why the more I get to know him, the more annoyed I get about all the gossip that surrounds him. He is an excellent person. And the dressing room is a magical place because it strips away all the other stuff and leaves each player as just a normal person and part of the group".

Why David Beckham Deserves More Respect for Milan Adventure

WHATEVER he does and wherever he goes, David Beckham continues to possess a rare ability to polarise opinion. He is almost like Margaret Thatcher in the extremes of response he seems to provoke and, just like the Iron lady, he also clearly intends to go on and on.

After playing 89 minutes of AC Milan's 2-2 draw against Roma, he outlined a hope that he could play until 40 and, while his critics might shake with rage at the thought of Beckham dominating the headlines for another seven years, his ambition deserves to be treated with respect.

The Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti has been at Paolo Maldini's side for much of his remarkable career and argues that it is possible, while the club's doctor Jean-Pierre Meerseeman is also optimistic.

"Beckham could go on for another five or six years," said Meerseeman. "His cardiovascular readings are very good. His basic fitness is excellent. All he needs to do now is to alter his training program slightly."

There was a time when frustrations with Beckham were more understandable. Before Fabio Capello arrived at the Bernabeu, the training at Real Madrid was less structured than at AC Milan and Beckham, as well as the rest of the team, seemed below par during the 2006 World Cup. Even so, he was always assured of a place under Sven-Goran Eriksson and there was some footballing logic to Steve McClaren's initial decision to drop him from the team.

However, what is important was Beckham's response. He did not complain, but simply fought his way back into the Real Madrid side and became a key man as they clinched a La Liga title.

He was belatedly recalled by McClaren and almost rescued the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign as a substitute against Croatia. Since then, despite the rather patronising idea (to both Beckham and Capello) that he would be given his 100th England cap as some sort of gift to say 'thank-you and goodbye', he has largely justified his recall.

He has made positive contributions at key moments, notably when England were struggling to break down Andorra, and has accepted his recent role behind Theo Walcott in the pecking order with characteristic grace.

The idea that his career will automatically follow some sort of unbreakable downward curve is also questionable. Yes, he is unlikely to recapture the more explosive energy of his early years, while his ability to get behind opposition full-backs is clearly limited. There are, however, other qualities to consider, notably a rare passing ability and excellent attitude.

All careers go through highs and lows and, just because Beckham is now 33, there is no logical reason why he cannot find improvements to some areas of his game. The hunger to keep going is evident and his love for football remains refreshingly child-like. At his very best, Beckham's quality was often treated with an unnecessary hysteria, but any decline has also been exaggerated.  

At the very least, Capello, surely one of the world's best judges, clearly still regards Beckham as a useful potential option for most eventualities.

If England are behind, his crossing, free-kick and dead-ball ability can change a game, while his ability to do the simple things and retain possession could be invaluable while trying to protect a lead.

In any case, apart from Walcott, who are the alternatives? Question-marks persist about the big-match temperaments of Shaun Wright-Phillips and Aaron Lennon, while David Bentley's most memorable England moment arrived in 2007 when he pulled out of the European Under-21 Championships on the eve of the tournament because he was tired.

Whatever anyone thinks of Beckham, he has always put England first and this is underlined by his decision to risk his reputation at Milan when he could be holidaying in California.

From a footballing perspective, Beckham's biggest mistake was surely the original decision to join the Los Angeles Galaxy and whether he can now play often enough to satisfy Capello ahead of the match against Spain in Seville next month remains to be seen.

The questioning, though, of his right to surpass Bobby Moore's record 108 outfield caps is absurd. If he plays in more games than Moore, he deserves it. What other criteria can there be for a record that is specifically for the most international caps? No-one is necessarily arguing that it makes Beckham the greater player, just that he played more games.

To somehow deny him that honour is no less perverse than saying that Usain Bolt did not deserve to beat Michael Johnson's 200m world record, even though his time was quicker.