How Good Was David Beckham, Really?

There may be no athlete in history harder to assess purely as a player than David Beckham. An undeniably talented player, his worldwide fame and subsequent transformation from a person into a brand has completely clouded people’s ability to impartially judge him purely for what he did on the field. While there certainly are similarities to Beckham and Michael Jordan’s careers, the inherent differences between soccer and basketball render any on-field comparisons moot. A player’s contributions on the pitch cannot be defined purely by goals and assists; more so than any other sport, the team is a group of 11 interconnected parts whose every individual move greatly impacts the others.

And, ultimately, his ability to make his teammates better and serve them up easy chances was what made him one of the greatest players of this era. He has always been a relentless worker on and off the field, playing precise and intelligent balls from his customary right midfield spot during the run of play while also being deadly on set pieces. While taking on players one-on-one was never his strong suit, his ability to simply pass his way out of these situations more than made up for it.

After Beckham’s retirement announcement yesterday, now is a fitting time to look back at each of his career stops and ask ourselves the question: How Good Was David Beckham, Really?

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Years: 1993-2003
Strengths: Clutch goals, winning trophies
Weaknesses: Friction with coach, balance of fame with playing obligations, injuries in later years
Highlights

Beckham will forever be associated with Manchester United, and rightfully so. He made his debut with the first team at the end of the 1992 season—signing his first professional contract in 1993—and by the time he left in 2003 he was a global icon light years beyond the scope of any athlete other than Michael Jordan. On the field, Beckham set new benchmarks for success, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and several international competitions over his 12 years with the club. While the tumultuous finish to his United career (lest we forget the famous shoe kicking incident) marred his legacy a bit, the breadth of his accomplishments cannot be denied. He'll forever be remembered as one of the greats in United history.

Years: 1994-1995 (Loan)
Strengths: Talent, goal scoring from set pieces
Weaknesses: Inexperience
Highlights

Even the most diehard fans can be excused for not remembering Beckham's brief loan to Preston North End, who in the 1994-95 season were one of the top teams in England's third division. United wanted their young midfielder to get some first team experience and prove that he really belonged in a top-flight league, and Beckham responded with two goals in a brief five game spell. He flashed the set piece brilliance that would become his calling card, scoring one goal from a free kick and the other by curling a corner kick into the net. His month-long spell at Preston demonstrated enough talent that Sir Alex Ferguson decided to bring Beckham back full-time, and the midfielder soon found himself in United's first 11.

Years: 1996-2009
Strengths: Longevity, clutch goal scoring
Weaknesses: Untimely mistakes, relationship with fans
Highlights

The most controversial and divisive part of Beckham's career was his work with the England national team. Heading into his first World Cup in 1998, he was accused of not focusing enough on the team and was benched for two games. He did himself no further favors when, in their Round of 16 matchup with Argentina, he received a red card in a game England ultimately lost in penalties. The contention between Beckham and the England fans reached their breaking point in 2000, where despite assisting on two goals, he was harassed by the crowd and responded by flipping them the middle finger. He finally won the fans' good graces in October 2001 when he scored a stoppage time goal on a free kick to clinch qualification for the 2002 World Cup, and in 2009 became the most capped player in the history of English international football, scoring 17 goals for his country.

Years: 2003-2007
Strengths: Experience, service from dead ball
Weaknesses: Complacency, didn't fit in with tactics
Highlights

Both player and club were partially to blame for Beckham's relative lack of accomplishments in a Madrid uniform. After a much-ballyhooed €35 million transfer from Manchester United and a strong start under manager (and former United assistant) Carlos Queiroz, Beckham's contributions and form fell off right around the same time the club began changing coaches (what felt like) every couple of months. When Real finally did settle on a coach they wanted (Fabio Capello) in 2006, he relegated Beckham to the bench in favor of the younger, faster José Antonio Reyes. This slight did two things for Beckham: It spurred him to bring his game to the US, and also lit a fire under him as he began to play as well as he had in years. Despite Madrid's last ditch attempts to keep him, Beckham moved on after 2007 from what was certainly his least successful career stop.

Years: 2007-2012
Strengths: Superior talent, fitness, service
Weaknesses: Impossible expectations, injuries
Highlights

Let's get one thing straight: Beckham's contract was not actually for $250 million. That number came from his own PR firm and represented the maximum possible amount it could be worth. His actual salary was about $6.5 million per year. In any case, Beckham's career in MLS got off to an inauspicious start when he entered his first season with the Galaxy carrying a foot injury and later injured his MCL. Fans began to turn on him in 2009 as he extended his loan with AC Milan into the MLS regular season, and a year later tore his Achilles' tendon while on a second loan there. His 2011 MLS season was by far his most successful, as he was second in the league in assists and led the Galaxy to an MLS Cup victory, then helped guide them to a repeat title in 2012. While he ended on a high note and was dominant when on the field, Beckham's MLS career was largely unsuccessful due to his inability to stay healthy.

Years: 2013
Strengths: Experience
Weaknesses: Age, lack of productivity
Highlights

Beckham's final club stop was this past season in Paris, where he inked a five month contract to play alongside star Zlatan Ibrahimovic at PSG. He started just one game and appeared as a substitute in eight matches, failing to score a goal and tallying just one assist. The team, however, still performed well, winning the Ligue 1 title and giving Beckham his fourth championship in a different league. Given how little Beckham was able to break through as a regular with PSG's first 11, it seemed pretty clear that his run as a top-level European footballer was through. In that context, and given that he (hopefully) has more money than he'll ever need, it makes sense that he decided that this would be his final season.

David Beckham's career is one of the most fascinating in the history of sports. He became so obscenely famous that people expected him to be the greatest player ever when he took the field; he wasn't. Given his position as a wide midfielder more interested in providing service than scoring goals on his own, his game lacked the sizzle that many of the game's legends possessed.

He didn't take guys one-on-one like Pelé, Diego Maradona or Zinedine Zidane; that simply wasn't in his football DNA. What he did do was outwork everyone on the field, prove time and again to be an excellent leader, and served up some of the most precise, deadly balls on spot kicks that the game has ever seen.

While his off-the-field fame has always been inextricably linked with his on-field exploits, one has nothing to do with the other and ultimately detracts from his legacy. Given his incredible longevity and success, Beckham should be remembered as one of the finest players ever to don a Manchester United and England jersey.