My reason for singling out Beckham was that football was sacrificed for more marketing considerations to the point that even when BECKHAM WAS NOT PLAYING WELL ..HE HAD TO PLAY !
I am sure you must have read the reports concerning the intervention of Adidas when Beckham was benched. That for me gave the dressing room over to the marketing department which clearly affected other players who felt they were being unfairly treated. this was reflected by sub par performances by players and some of them expected to do well probably thought ...why bother ? we aren´t going to play anyway ! Raul Bravo comes to mind as he went from very ordinary, to very important to the team , to bench to make room for Be ckham, in a short space of time.
The other reasons I agree with and certainly Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo then adopted the same appraoch ...if Beckham could play like that and cant be dropped with an even greater financial package than us then let him carry the team. ... ¨why should I be playing the entire left side for the club week in week out when a player who cant command a place in the team, in any position, is earning more than I do ? ¨
¨why after being the leading scorer every year since I arrived should I be treated less than a player whose best exploits are in non game pursuits and shirt sales ? ¨
Well you may not agree Filho but you must admit that anything that seriously affects team unity is more likely to cause rippling problems after all football is a team game. makele left because he felt underappreciated that did not mean that all those who stayed did. So if you agree that the makele issue was badly handled and affected the team´s performance you will have to study the Beckham syndrome again.
Jai...this is the absolutely positively weakest thing I have read in a long time. Stick to the facts and stop using specualtion as logic as if you were part of the RM dressing room. If I wanted to read this stuff I would go by a Barcelona tabloid (then get a translator ) I disagree with everything you wrote, because Beckham never HAD to play and has been benched when his form was poor. Capello has even kicked him off the squad completely. I know you don't like admiting others are right, but this is poor.
FACT #1. Beckham was not the highest paid player at Real Madrid. Zidane and Ronaldo made more based on salary.Figo and R. Carlos made close the exact same amount. So your whole argument about Ronaldo and R. Carlos not giving their all buss dey.
FACT #2. Carlos poor play directly coincided with his divorce. He publicly stated that his head was in a mess and it affected his performance, but he never stopped giving 100%. His performances were not down to a lack of trying.
FACT #3. He and Becks are good friends and warm up together before every game trying to 'outdo' each other with their long range passing and getting the crowd hyped.
FACT #4. Ronaldo was the one player who polarized the dressing room. Fiorentino Perez admitted that Ronaldo was his favorite and got away with murder. He missed practices and Perez would tell the coaches as long as he scored goals leave him alone. The Madrid dressing room split and the older players never liked the Brazilian as they ahve come out in interviews and said.Some even came out and said they were happy that he left for AC Milan (fire bun dem for that tho'...fire bun dem good). When interviewd Ronaldo even said he knows they didn't like him and he could not understand why. His lazy play has absolutely nothing to do with Beckham. On the other hand, the players went public to defy Capello (a known task master) and demand that Beckham be reinstated into the squad recently.
Sorry Jai but you duck the facts and come up with the Adidas conspiracy theory to make a tabloid argument. We on different ends of the spectrum on this one.
why should I be playing the entire left side for the club week in week out when a player who cant command a place in the team, in any position, is earning more than I do ?
I want to leave everything up so others could decide ..
let me post a few comments by people you mentioned on the issue ...
Roberto Carlos speaks about moving away
Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos has been in the club for almost ten years, and he is expecting a pay-hike as he seeks new contract talks.
The Brazilian star has denied reports he's already agreed terms over a new deal at Real and admitted: "It is not that I feel mistreated. But I want to reach the numbers that I was offered by Fenerbahce and Chelsea.
"I think that I am young for football. I can play until I'm 40. I want to play for five years more. To speak with Pedja without knowing what it is happening is difficult. I can help Marcelo grow, but I want the club to listen to the things that are going through my mind.
"In fact, it is not money question, that would be crazy. The problem is where I want to play. I want to win two or three titles more with Real Madrid."
I guess carlos must have been secretly lying to your sources .... yeah good friends ..right !
on the question of a united dressing room affecting success here is what the Ex madrid coach had to say ...
Del Bosque praises Capello's work
Former Real Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque has praised Fabio Capello for the impact he has made since his arrival at the club.
"I think Real Madrid needed a change and the doubt that surrounded the club has now been lifted," said the former Real coach. "Capello doesn't have to worry about the style of his team. He has united his footballer with a determination to win games and he is achieving that.
"It is really important to understand this."
Del Bosque also said: "To sign Gago will be a great achievement. He is like Fernando Redondo, though when he arrived in Madrid he was a man.
"However, I believe they have missed an opportunity in not bringing up to the first team Javi Garcia and Ruben De la Red."