David Beckham announced his retirement Thursday, initiating a great deal of response to what has otherwise been a terrific career. But how great was it? Will David Beckham, the most famous soccer player in the world, be remembered more for underwear ads or for his performance and achievements on the pitch?
ESPN's Iain MacIntosh asserts that Beckham should never be considered the greatest English player of his generation. "That may sound unnecessarily harsh. Beckham was, of course, an excellent footballer, a man who allied his natural strengths to a determined program of hard work from an early age. But in terms of natural talent, he wasn't in the same class as Paul Scholes at Manchester United. He was well-liked at Real Madrid, but he wasn't as good as Zinedine Zidane or Ronaldo. When he broke into the England team, it was at the close of Paul Gascoigne's career. Now he was a football genius," wrote MacIntosh. "With the exception of Beckham's time in the United States, there were always better natural players around him."
While that may be true, there is no denying Beckham's achievements on the pitch; more than even some of the world's greatest soccer players have ever hoped to achieve. From 1993- 2003 Beckham was a member of a terrific Manchester United club. He won six premier league championships (including one in his final season with the club), two FA Cups, and a UEFA Champions League trophy in 1998-99. In 1999, UEFA recognized him as the "UEFA Club Footballer of the Year" and the UEFA Club Midfielder of the year. Such greats as Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedane Zidane, Lionel Messi, and Kaka were among the winners of the now deceased award. During his time with Manchester he played in 265 matches and scored 62 goals.
After his adventures in England, Beckham left for Spain and played with Real Madrid from 2003-2007. He won the Spanish Super Cup in his first season and also won the Spanish league championship in his final year. After that he made his way to the United States where he led the Los Angeles Galaxy to two straight championships. After his final season in 2012, he headed to Paris Saint-Germain and also won the Championship in his final year.
He also made 115 appearances with the national team and scored 17 goals.