“David Beckham is not ready to leave the stage,” writes an admiring Kevin McCarra of the midfielder’s England international career. “No critic of his attention-seeking behavior runs short of material. Still, Beckham does show a surprising tenacity and has had to suppress some self-regard merely to cling to the national team.”
Beckham is now content to play his cameo roles as a late substitute with “a marked humility.” He’s accepted that manager Fabio Capello knows “the limitations of a 33-year-old in MLS … with a moderate LA Galaxy lineup who has to commute from the west coast of America.” His last three caps have totaled 27 minutes on the field, which Beckham has taken “in the conviction that any outing is an honor.”
His endurance is remarkable, McCarra continues, given that he is “a one-paced footballer who cannot head the ball with conviction or tackle efficiently. But it is precisely those defects that illuminate the indefatigable trait in Beckham. He has triumphed by imbuing his crosses with such accuracy, movement and judiciousness that a series of England managers have helped him amass 106 caps.”
However, there’s a note of pathos to all this given the lack of alternatives facing the player. “LA Galaxy are underachievers, management is not a plausible career move, eloquent punditry will never come readily to him, and operating soccer academies is unlikely to enthrall. Beckham might as well play some more football.”