Beckham in April possible II: SkySports - Beckham's Real playing career is over

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

This is great news for MLS !

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

what i never understood is the people on here that thought Beckham was just going to go back to the Bernabeu, and play for the white shirts AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED. FFS, they are real madrid, a very proud franchise. as proud as they come. and now Beckham spurned their offer in favor of joining a 2nd/3rd tier football league in North America???? that was gonna work out well.


i've been attacked by many posters on here for anxiously "planning" on Beckhams April or May arrival in MLS. but what you "realists" missed (and the term 'realist' on BigSoccer often means 'defeatist'), was that the opposite, was never very likely in the first place. in other words, it was NEVER likely that a non-committed David Beckham was going to go back to Real Madrid and get any sort of playing time after he signed with LAG. hell, Capello never liked him BEFORE he signed with MLS.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

I saw this coming as well. I just wonder if he does come over early, who will pay the transfer fee? AEG/Addidas?? I'm sure Real will want a large fee for those last 6 months or so....

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

We shouldn't pay Real squat. It is their choice to let him train for over $100,000 a week without playing. They can let him out of his contract, or he can decide to run around and keep in shape for the season.

He certainly won't be worn out from playing by the time he gets here. I think he will be released in March under mutual agreement.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

I agree. I think they are just after a fee now.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

i don't know ... it's tough. on the one hand, they really don't have much leverage at this point. Capello has said that Beckham has played his last game for Real Madrid.

"He has always been a great professional, but a player who has such an important contract with another club, we cannot count on him."

i applaud Capello for coming out with that. they could have lied about it, pretended that Beckham played an important role in an effort to squeeze all they could out of the Galaxy. but at this point, they've got a walking distraction on their hands. a train-only player that makes £100,000 pounds a week.

but remember: Real still have 50% of his image rights, so they'll probably loan him out to LAG on the cheap ... in a way that they continue to get paid on his image rights for the next 6 months. but Beckham will be in MLS in April or 1st week of May (my prediction).

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

Erm how many players sign for a new team and keep performing for their current team?

For example: Peter Niemeier will leave FC Twente after 8 years but untill that time he will fully commit to them. Heck, he even didnt want to move earlier because he wants to finish out the current season.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

Will Beckham/MLS agree to that. Arguably, jersey sales and other promotional events will be at a maximum when he first arrives. It may be in their interest to simply pay a nominal fee to Madrid 1 Million(?) or wait.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

no clue who that chap is ... but does he have a $250 million dollar deal waiting for him on the other side of the ocean???

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

But isn't this sort of thing somewhat typical? I seem to recall Lothar Matthaeus playing without incident for Bayern after everyone knew he would be joining the MetroStars, though my recollection of the specifics may be hazy. And in some respects, this is no different than being on loan.

Granted, Capello obviously wasn't his biggest fan to begin with.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

i doubt they sell him for that cheap. it all depends on what Real think they would make off of Beckham's image in a 6 month period.

for example, say DB's image brings in $15 million in that period (just a made up figure). by the contract, Real get half of that. so if Real is pulling in $7.5 million ... there's no way they're ripping up the contract for a measley $1 million. that's just bad business.

now, i have no idea what the figures actually are ... i'm just saying, Real will probably crunch the numbers and sell him for a fee accordingly.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

it might be ... on a smaller scale. but the thing that makes this different is the $250 million price tag (and the hopes and dreams of an entire franchise/domestic league ). you guys are comparing Beckham's situation to other guys that had like $500,000-$1m contracts waiting for them on the other side. i'll re-quote Capello from the BBC article this morning:

"He has always been a great professional, but a player who has such an important contract with another club, we cannot count on him."

if a guy's signed a deal for a quarter of a billion dollars, that's a slightly different dynamic than someone who has a run-of-the-mill $700,000 deal.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

Capello's comments are very insulting to Beckham. I'm sure Beckham would have played hard the rest of the season. This is just Capello being a jealous prick.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

If Real is fair, they will release him. Becks should give up 50% of the image rights (to Real) until June- or some equivelent. MLS pays his salary from now on.

This can happen if all sides are willing to give (actually, Beckham has to give Real 50% anyway until June, so why should he fight it). Becks can get a 2 month vacation and get paid for it (show up mid-March to start training again), MLS gets him at the beg. of season (basically) and all is well.

Remember too- MLS is incentivized- think of the ticket sales on his away games! (most are selling as 3 and 10 packs too!). That's a lot of away games between April and August

If Real tries to play hard ball, MLS should remind them that their access to the US market (tours, merchandising, etc.) will be 0 in the coming future.
Real actually has a material amount to lose by playing unfair, so I think they'll come to a decent arrangement all the way around

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

Fabio Capello has a hard head this is true. Figo is staying on at Inter for another 6 months, if he ever goes to play for the Saudi club. There could be clauses in Figo's contract that could rescind the deal. Who knows. This will be good to have Beckham come to Southern Cal in April. Maybe he can enjoy sometime at Santa Monica Beach or even at Klinsman's house in Santa Barbara...
I wonder if Becks & Posh will check out Solvang?
http://www.solvangusa.com/
http://whttp://www.solvangca.com/

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

honestly, i don't think it's that insulting. try to think about this in terms of American sport:

(and this is purely hypothetical, b/c our contracts are different in America)

but this is like, if Alex Rodriguez agreed to a $250 million dollar contract with the LA Dodgers, while he still had 5 months left in the Yankees season. obviously this could never happen in the US. but under this scenario, i could imagine Steinbrenner not wanting any part of the player, and doing his best to get rid of him. "if he doesn't want to be a Yankee, we don't want him here." hell, i can even hear him saying something like that.

you gotta remember, people at giant clubs like Real Madrid or the Yankees have HUGE EGOS. they're very proud, and they don't like being shown up. frankly it doesn't surprise me one bit that Capellos is acting this way. i can think of 1 or 2 American sports execs/coaches that would react the same way if they were in the same situation.





btw, i'm not justifying his actions. Capello seems like somewhat of a jackass to me. i'm just saying, i understand it.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

Yeah, I see what you're saying. And I wonder if the imminent "collectors' item only" status of Real Madrid's "image rights" might play a role.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

Great post...you are absolutely correct that the door to the US market goes through AEG who promoted their last tours also....including a stop at the HDC...

I think this will be settled quickly and fairly for all...maybe a LAG trip to play at their pre-season opener? Or a couple of trips of RM to the HDC?

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

Of course I understand it. It's exactly the way my 4 year old might act. Like I said, "jealous prick". Beckham is still under contract, he's still being paid wages, he's still a good player, he's still a professional, and he's still with Real Madrid. There is no reason to act this way. It is insulting to Beckham, but oh well. Lots of people at top clubs are egomaniacs and babies.

That's why I pursue my own company every day. It's the same bullsh!t in corporate America.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

We are dealing with a Spanish team and an Italian coach, logic don't enter into to. Real and Capello got stood up by the LA Galaxy. These guys are going to burn bridges like you haven't seen, even if it means Beckham sits around for the next 6 months doing nothing.

Spain and Italy are two very macho/face saving countries, which relish conflict and arguments, and where honor is everything, and not the gentle British honor, but more like the you slighted me so I am not talking to you for 3 years kind of honor. Seriously, this could get sticky.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

(just playing devil's advocate)

you're telling me that Real Madrid couldn't schedule a Giants Stadium --> FedEx Field (Landover, MD) --> LA Coliseum tour without Anschutz getting his hands on it??? wow, St. Phil really IS superhuman.


but i agree with you in general. also another point. the biggest thing for Real to lose is: they don't want to look petty. they can't just think about the present; they have to remain appealing for elite footballers to want to sign with them in the future. if this Beckham thing turns into a long-drawn out cry-baby bitchfest ... it will reflect very poorly on Real's part. and again, you better believe things like that will be remembered when future/current stars like Ribery, etc are picking which massive club they want to sign with.


it's the same thing in your workplace. your boss can do anything he wants to his current employees. they can act like the biggest a-holes they want, change the position, increase the hours, lower the pay. they can do whatever they want to their current employers, they have them by the balls, so to speak. but that's not the biggest concern. the biggest problem is, what does this employer do when his current people leave? no one's ever gonna want to work there after the position's been changed around, pay lowered, etc. so you can act as crazy as you want once, but you're really just screwing yourself down the road.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

I don't think Real and Capello got stood-up. Their statements about wanting Beckham was purely for public consumption. They're glad to see him go. This frankly is a win-win situation: the way Capello wants to play Beckham will not help them, and the MLS gets a solid world-class player who at 31 is far from done. Since Real wants our market, they'll play nice with MLS to work out a deal so that Beckham starts the season here. PLus, I suppose LA doesn't want to have another season when they fall behind early on. They'll work it out. It's in all parties' best interests to do so.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

Capello has treated Beckham like a second-class player all season, so why would we expect anything different now? He obviously didn't want him in Madrid before, but tethering him to a team he won't play for is just ridiculous.

MLS has to work something out to bring Beckham here in April and end this saga quickly.

 

Re: SkySports: Beckham's Real playing career is over

It may be that some of the parties involved had it planned this way all along.