David Beckham battles to keep name in lights

David Beckham’s fight to keep his name alive as a footballer rather than a celebrity goes another round tomorrow when he waits to see whether Carlo Ancelotti, the AC Milan coach, allows him to decorate anything more than the bench in his first game against Roma at the Italian capital’s Olympic Stadium.
Ancelotti has made no promise as to the extent of Beckham’s contribution in his two months as an on-loan player. He has been generous with praiseworthy soundbites, though perhaps his most significant observation was that Beckham “is still not in top physical shape”. He did add that Beckham “can be useful for us even if he is not in the best condition”, though the speculation continues as to whether the move will be more beneficial for the longevity of Beckham’s career or for the Milan marketing department.
But speculation goes with the territory here and a combination of unrelated instances has spun the rumour that the two months may yet be extended well beyond that.
First Beckham joined his new team-mates for their mid-season break in Dubai with new boots adorned with the Milan club symbol plus the flags of Italy and England; next Alexi Lalas, the former general manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy, gave an interview saying that “the Galaxy will survive beyond David Beckham; whether that is three months or three years from now.”
Beckham played a half in a friendly against Hamburg in Dubai on Tuesday, though how he might make a permanent fit with Milan, regardless of what he has inscribed on his boots, has yet to be established. The possibility has been raised that he may make up a three-man midfield along with Clarence Seedorf and Andrea Pirlo, but this would leave Ancelotti with neither width nor much of a defensive midfield shield and would certainly give Beckham more of a chance of raising shirt sales than lifting Milan beyond their present third place in the Serie A table.
Indeed, while Beckham has been the subject of considerable interest to the Italian media, it has been more for the circus that he creates than his likely influence as a player. And it would be wrong, anyway, to suggest that the Milanese have been bonkers about Beckham. When Ronaldinho signed for Milan from Barcelona, he arrived mid-summer and when Milan staged his welcome in the San Siro, 40,000 turned up simply to cheer him in.
Contrast that with Beckham, who was introduced at the Milan-Udinese game before Christmas and lingered for around a minute, by which time the sound of lukewarm applause had long since died out.
In certain parts of the club, they are of course delighted to see him — and not just him. “It’s brand new for us,” Laura Masi, the Milan marketing director, said. “He’s a different type of player: we are not just talking about a player or a superstar, it’s a couple, an entertainment phenomenon.
“David and Victoria Beckham are more than just a football family. When David was here for his medical, Victoria had a meeting with Dolce & Gabbana. That’s different.” Masi added that “we want to give the impression that, more than being a Hollywood club, we’re a football club”. However, this is not the first time that the Hollywood comparison has been made this week.
Bayern Munich were also in Dubai, sharing the same playing facilities with Milan, where Uli Hoeness, the Bayern general manager, criticised Milan for treating the camp “like a Hollywood film set”.
“The difference between us and them is that we played football, whereas Milan thought they were on a film set as if they were in Hollywood,” he said. “My job is to run a football club and not to make sure Victoria Beckham has the best suite in the hotel. It was all just one big scene. Steven Spielberg was the only one missing.”
For Beckham, surely, the circus is not particularly helpful. He has achieved an extraordinary treble, collecting the iconic shirts of Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan. Now, at last, has come the time to wear the latter to good effect.
source:the london times