David Beckham has signed a deal to play for Italian giant AC Milan on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham will play for Milan only from January until the MLS season begins in March.
Other than being injured last summer as he tried to join the Galaxy, Beckham has been playing almost non-stop since the 2006 World Cup. During the MLS off-season a year ago, the Galaxy went on a tour of Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
While most world stars complain of too many games and too little time off, Beckham, to his credit, has done nothing but search for playing time. He even tried to play while hurt with the Galaxy last season, too eager to sell soccer to the American public. It only made his ailing ankle worse, as it never really healed properly the rest of the 2007 MLS season.
Beckham will play in Europe so he can remain in England’s plans for World Cup qualifying. If he had remained inactive during the MLS off-season, England manager Fabio Capello would not select him for the squad.
The English believe MLS is not good enough for Beckham to maintain top form. Actually, it’s MLS that gave Beckham a chance to rejoin the England team.
Beckham was dropped from the national team after the World Cup. He finished his season with Real Madrid, then joined the Galaxy, which is when he was re-invited back to England.
England failed to qualify for Euro 2008 after Beckham returned, but they are off to a strong start in World Cup qualifying.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said this about MLS:
While it’s true Beckham likely wouldn’t have been much use to England while MLS was off, the Brits should stop knocking MLS.
MLS might not be one of the top leagues in the world, but it is MLS that brought Beckham back into the England fold.