Top Player Focus: David Beckham Part 2
Manchester United era
Becoming a first-team player
United manager Alex Ferguson had a great deal of confidence in the club’s young players. When three of his first-team players left the club at the end of the 1994-95 season, his decision to let youth team players replace them instead of buying players from other clubs, drew a great deal of criticism. The criticism increased when United started the season with a 3–1 defeat at Aston Villa, with Beckham scoring United’s only goal of the game; however, United won their next five matches and the young players performed well. Beckham became a regular player on the team and helped them to win the Premiership and FA Cup double that season, scoring the winner in the semi-final against Chelsea and also taking the corner that Éric Cantona scored from in the FA Cup Final. Despite playing regularly for Manchester United, Beckham did not break into the England squad before Euro 96.
In August 1996, Beckham became something of a household name when he scored a spectacular goal in a match against Wimbledon. With United ahead 2–0, Beckham noticed that Wimbledon’s goalkeeper Neil Sullivan was standing a long way out of his goal, and hit a shot from the halfway line that floated over the goalkeeper and into the net. The 57-yard goal is the furthest successful strike at goal since the Premiership was founded in 1992.
Beckham was frequently mentioned in the press, and he made his first appearance for the England national football team on 1 September 1996, in a World Cup qualifying match against Moldova. He became an automatic first-choice player at United during the 1996-97 season, helping them to retain the Premier League championship, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year by his peers.
United started the 1997-98 season well, but their performance deteriorated and the club finished the season in second place, behind Arsenal.
World Cup 1998
Beckham had played in all of England’s qualifying matches for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and was part of the England squad at the World Cup finals in France, but the team’s manager Glenn Hoddle publicly accused him of not concentrating on the tournament, and he did not start in either of England’s first two matches. He was picked for their third match against Colombia and scored from a long-range free kick in a 2–0 victory, which was his first goal for England.
In the second round (last 16) of that competition, he received a red card in England’s match against Argentina. Beckham, after having been fouled by Diego Simeone, kicked Simeone, striking him on the calf. Simeone later admitted to trying to get Beckham sent off by over-reacting to the kick and then, along with other members of his team, urging the referee to send Beckham off. The match finished in a draw and England were eliminated in a penalty shootout. Many supporters and journalists blamed him for England’s elimination and he became the target of criticism and abuse, including the hanging of an effigy outside a London pub, and the Daily Mirror printing a dartboard with a picture of him centred on the bullseye. Beckham also received death threats after the World Cup.
1998-99 season (the Treble)
In the 1998-99 season, he was part of the United team that won the treble — Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, a unique feat in English football. There had been speculation that the criticism that he had received after being sent off in the World Cup would lead to him leaving England, but he decided to stay at Manchester United.
To ensure they would win the league championship, United needed to win their final league match of the season, at home to Tottenham Hotspur, but Tottenham took an early lead in the match. Beckham scored the equaliser and United went on to win the match and the league.
Beckham played centre-midfield in United’s FA Cup final win over Newcastle United and for the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayern Munich, since United’s first string centre-midfielders were suspended for the match. United were losing the match 1-0 at the end of normal time, but won the trophy by scoring two goals in injury time. Both of the goals came from corners taken by Beckham. Those kicks, coupled with great performances over the rest of the season, led to him finishing runner up to Rivaldo for 1999’s European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.
1999-2000 season
Despite Beckham’s achievements in the 1998-99 season, he was still unpopular among some opposition fans and journalists, and he was criticised after being sent off for a deliberate foul in Manchester United’s World Club Championship match against Necaxa. It was suggested in the press that his wife was a bad influence on him, and that it might be in United’s interests to sell him, but his manager publicly backed him and he stayed at the club.
The relationship between Ferguson and Beckham began to deteriorate, possibly as a result of Beckham’s fame and commitments away from football. In 2000, Beckham was given permission to miss training to look after his son Brooklyn, who had gastroenteritis, but Ferguson was furious when Victoria Beckham was photographed at a London Fashion Week event on the same night, claiming that Beckham would have been able to train if Victoria had looked after Brooklyn that day. He responded by fining Beckham the maximum amount that was permitted (two weeks’ wages – then £50,000) and dropping him for a crucial match against United’s rivals Leeds United. He later criticised Beckham for this in his autobiography, claiming he hadn’t been “fair to his team mates”. Beckham had a good season for his club, though, and helped United to win the Premier League by a record margin.
Information gathered from www.wikipedia.org
Part 3 coming soon: Winning Over the England Fans
