David Beckham returned to wear the Manchester United shirt last week for the first time since he packed his Louis Vuitton bags in a rush exit back in 2003. The occasion was Gary Neville's testimonial. Testimonials used to be arranged for players who had notched ten years service, as a thank you to boost their pension funds ahead of a long retirement. Let's face it they are becoming a bit redundant, since the gate receipts probably equate to less than one month's salary, and well some players look like they are never going to retire anyway.
Enter Beckham, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, all in the team against Juventus last week, all still playing at the highest level with a combined age of at least 283 years old. Throw in the other Neville and Nicky Butt and you have the core of the dominant United team that came together in the 1992/3 youth teams and peaked with the 1999 Champions League treble winning season. There is also on rather important chap who has also been there through all this: Sir Alex Ferguson, in his twenty something year as manager and all round genius (any man that can win a league title with Brian McClair in the team is a genius in my eyes.)
Fergie has seen it all, and suffered no fools. Jaap Stam, Roy Keane, and Becks have all faced the wrath of Fergie, and all been shown the door. He felt betrayed by Stam and Keano, through their public criticism of his teams. As far as Becks goes, he seemed simply to believe brand Beckham was a full time circus and not about the football.
I always wonder whether he made a mistake with Beckham. It's not something he will ever admit, that's a certainty, but the golden one gave the team a natural balance that they have missed ever since. I watched United quite a lot from 2003 to 2005, courtesy of a company box which I held the keys for. They were a team that struggled without him. Ronaldo was talented but raw, and United limped through a trophy free few seasons, like men couldn't cope without their talisman. With Beckham you get the off field attention and all, but you also get vision, assists, determination and someone who can keep the ball. You also get a very underrated leader, who gives everything for the cause, and is a proven winner. (Unfortunately you also get Posh, but you can't have everything.)
Ronaldo eventually came very, very good. Imagine Beckham playing centre midfield with Keane behind him, Giggs on the left, Ronaldo on the right, Scholes off the front man. There would have been no such thing as Chelsky, and United would have been on twenty plus titles before the end of the noughties. He would probably still be playing now in rotation with the other vets. I am pretty sure England would have benefited too.
There would be one heck of a busy testimonial season coming up some time soon.
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