Beckham –No Going Back!

In this age of celebrity, a small number of sportsmen grapple with the conflict between the love of their sport and the glittering temptations and adoration offered by the world of celebrity. There is surely no better example of this than David Beckham, the biggest of them all. His crossroads came a couple of years ago when he took football betting fans by surprise and forsook the premier ground of his sport by leaving Europe and joining LA Galaxy, a stratospheric drop in footballing finesse but presumably compensated for by the potential rewards of A list status in the home of popular culture.

The pleasures of celebrity status are, however, merely sensual and for someone with real talent they are, in the final analysis, not enough. Nagging away and undermining them will be a voice from the better part of the consciousness which will eventually be heard. Beckham’s loan to AC Milan has amplified that voice and put the celeb urges on the backburner for the time being. He has rediscovered the source of his real rewards and they lie on the pitch rather than at the latest A list party or alongside some catwalk in a fashion house in New York.

Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan has spent large amounts of money on the young and fiery Brazilian, Mancini and the Portuguese, Ricardo Quaresma, players who have caused him no end of disciplinary problems while barely making a dozen starts between them. Meanwhile, AC Milan stick to their practice of signing-up ageing but reliable stars who work their butts off for the team – Beckham being a prime example and someone they would dearly love to keep.

There are no tougher negotiators than the Americans. They invented the art and they will know precisely what is at stake. In November, Beckham becomes a free agent and can leave at will but they know he wants to stay in Milan now so they are holding out for their $10m. Milan has offered five, suggesting that Beckham forks over the rest. Beckham loves cash so he is resisting but Galaxy know that he or will cough-up in the end. That’s why he won’t be boarding that plane on March 9.