So as all of you guys know, the great David Beckham has retired. I'm a bit late cause I've been busy with work and life. I've been wanting to write on Beckham's recent retirement for awhile now, and what it mean's to me as a soccer fan and a David Beckham fan.
All through out my life, I've looked up to two soccer players with feverish passion, the first one, as all my friends and relatives know is the Brazilian Ronaldo, or the Phenomenon. I've looked up to him since I first saw him in a Brazil jersey way back in 96' in the Olympic's. I was 10, and he was everything I wanted to be as a soccer player, super-speed, strength of a bull, and did I say super-speed! A couple of days after the Olympic games, I saw a game that to many soccer fan's that watched it, is forever burned in their memories. In the 96'-97' season of the English Premier League, Manchester United was playing against Wimbledon, and were up 2-0. The flow of the game evolved from Manchester's back four towards the midfield, when all of a sudden the right midfielder for the Red Devil's took a pass deep in the center of the park and noticed Neil Sullivan (keeper for Wimbledon) standing way to far from his goal. Without hesitation Beckham struck from the midfield, and the ball, like a heat-seeking missile went straight into the goal. No bounce or anything, it went straight in, and the only thing that stopped the ball was the goal's net. I was left with my mouth wide open, and ever since that game, David Beckham became a house-hold name. I'm pretty sure not just to me personally either but to many soccer fan's around the world.
After that day, I had another hero. The more I saw of him the more I loved the guy. I started following his career throughout Manchester United, then to Real Madrid, where he, alongside Ronaldo, Zidane, Figo, Roberto Carlos, Raul and company became what is known as "the Galactico's Era". All these amazing soccer players, the best of the best, all in one team. It was every soccer fan's wet dream. Even the team's nickname sounded heroic. Straight out of a comic book... Los Galactico's... The Galactics. Throughout the season I would watch these Titan's play beautiful soccer. These guys were God's among men to me. I loved every minute of it. Beckham was crucial in the team getting silverware and his signature free-kicks were just to much for opposing team's... Especially because they didn't know if they were getting a bullet shot from Roberto Carlos, or a banana curved shot from Beckham. As I got older, watching my heroes play, I realized the real reason why I loved Beckham so much. The reason why I loved David so much was that he was a working-class soccer player. What I mean by that is that Beckham's ability weren't god given, he wasn't born with amazing abilities. No, he worked and worked and honed is skills. I'm not saying that every great soccer player is born with great skill and abilities, but some are. For example Lionel Messi has amazing skills. There's videos of him at a really young age doing things that grown men can't, of course he's gotten better over the years through training and practicing but his initial ability was god given natural talent.
In David Beckham's case he trained and trained to become the player he is today. He was never the fastest, and he never had a set of dribbling skills like Ronaldo ( the Phenomenon). Nonetheless through his resilience and just drive he became good enough to play amongst these other soccer giants in the end becoming one himself. David is known for his amazing dead-ball skills ex: free-kicks, corner-kicks. Also is crossing was sublime. It was these abilities that made him a force on the pitch, and an outstanding player. But the way he honed is skills was the reason I love this guy. There's countless storied about how he would stay hours after practice taking an extra 35-40 free-kicks from different spots on the field. It was this drive that made him great, and it was this drive that took him this far.
Aside from his drive and just overall hard-work ethic, the other thing that stood out to me was his passion. No matter what shirt he had on he played with the strongest of passion. He's one of the few players that I could look on the pitch and just know he was giving 125% in all games. Overall he was just a hard-working player that always put his heart into every game and was passionate. As cheesy as this sound's, Beckham's drive and hard-working ethic is something I always strive to do, whether it's in a small sided pick up game of soccer, or work. I always try to give my all in anything I do. Something David Beckham has taught me. So I knew the day would come when the last of my soccer heroes would retire. It killed me, I was shattered. His last game was for Paris St. Germain, and he went out like any soccer great, any soccer god should... On top! Paris St. Germain won the French Ligue and David Beckham had a teary-eyed standing ovation. Perfect ending to a world-class player's career. Perfect way to say good-bye to the last Galactico. Thank you David, for the memories and inspiration.
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