About the Author
Bobby McMahon
You can see me on the Fox Soccer News broadcast in the US on the Fox Soccer, in other parts of the world on FSI and in Canada on Soccer Central on Sportsnet. I also contribute to "TSN 1290 radio," as well as other radio stations across the continent and I write a regular column for Forbes.com.
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What Is It About ‘David Beckham’ That Turns So Many Brains To Mush?
Written by Bobby McMahon on February 5, 2013 | 2 Comments »
Posted in Money Game, PSG
On Thursday morning David Beckham signed a contract to play for Paris Saint-Germain in France‘s Ligue 1.
Since the Qatar Investment Authority took over PSG in 2011 the aim has been to make the team a major force in world soccer and by signing Beckham they think he can help make the dream a reality.
“He’s a very proficient player and I’m sure he will add big volume to the club,” stated club President Nasser al-Khelaifi. (Hopefully a remark conveyed by an over-worked translator.)
And of course Brand-Beckham once again became the acquisition that launched a….to read more please click on the link.
2 Responses to “What Is It About ‘David Beckham’ That Turns So Many Brains To Mush?”
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The “summer student” analogy is a good one Bobby.
I don’t think the “volume” quote is necessarily a poor translation though. The only reason for an ambitious European club to hire Beckham today is to increase merchandising volumes…
I think it can be argued that, whatever the money actually was, Beckham was worth what he was paid in MLS. He may or may not have been LAG’s best player at any time during the five years he played there. However he did sell a great many jerseys and season tickets, and instantly made LAG a brand that could be sold on overseas tours (at least for a while…). That’s something that better quality MLS teams couldn’t achieve.
Given the number and skill level of other players being brought in to the PSG fold, it’s hard to see Beckham getting more than a token ten minutes on pitch at the end of games that are long since decided. It’s a merchandising move. The only question I have is, is Beckham still capable of selling jerseys in Europe? It seems the Qatari’s believe so.
… oh dear…. superfluous apostrophe…. how embarrassing…
Sorry Qataris.