BECKHAM THE FOOTBALLER
David Beckham has, as usual, been the centre of attention in the build-up to tomorrow's big game. With other teams and other players, the fact that he will once again be playing in searing heat with a left foot that by his own admission was "aching" after last Saturday's match against Denmark might have dominated the column inches he generated. Instead there has been as much interest in the nuances of his haircut as his delicate bones.
As the popping flashbulbs that accompany Beckham's every strike of a football indicate, it is becoming harder to distinguish between the right-sided midfielder doing a job as captain of his country and the industry that is David Beckham Inc. Curiously Beckham seems to be the one most at ease with this, particularly in this star-struck nation where they would pay to watch him whistle.
When Beckham turned up at Kobe's Wing Stadium to watch the Belgium v Brazil game on Monday night with a few England colleagues, one Japanese official explained the resulting fuss as "Beckham's arrived". It was not because England had arrived.
So far, so acceptable. However, tomorrow the stakes are raised and Beckham Inc must become a subsidiary. Should England lose there is bound to be debate about Beckham's priorities.
England need a big game from Beckham. Beckham also needs a big game from himself if his reputation as a player is to exceed his celebrity.
Given the occasion, given the broken bone, given his effort at recovery, if Beckham can play a significant part in an England victory tomorrow, then he can be called a genuine world-class footballer as well as a global entertainment. It is time for a different sort of highlights.
When Beckham turned up at Kobe's Wing Stadium to watch the Belgium v Brazil game on Monday night with a few England colleagues, one Japanese official explained the resulting fuss as "Beckham's arrived". It was not because England had arrived.
So far, so acceptable. However, tomorrow the stakes are raised and Beckham Inc must become a subsidiary. Should England lose there is bound to be debate about Beckham's priorities.
England need a big game from Beckham. Beckham also needs a big game from himself if his reputation as a player is to exceed his celebrity.
Given the occasion, given the broken bone, given his effort at recovery, if Beckham can play a significant part in an England victory tomorrow, then he can be called a genuine world-class footballer as well as a global entertainment. It is time for a different sort of highlights.