$250m for Beckham....you must be kidding me

The worst kept rumor/secret is finally official, David Beckham will be heading to the MLS and will be donning the LA Galaxy strip, for a cool $250m 5year contract. There is no doubt that the 31 year old former England captain is a world wide footie icon, but is he worth such a massive payout? I completely understand why the MLS is anxious to get some named players into the league, however I think that such contracts may create more problems than solutions.

While the "Beckham rule," allowing MLS teams to sign one high salary player without hurting the salary cap will not allow the MLS to go the NASL route where teams like the Cosmos bought the likes of Pele, Beckenbauer and Cruyff, but the MLS is still using this clause to bring in old, end of career players. Players that are looking to get one more large paycheck before calling it a career, players that were it not for the MLS would have to take a pay cut and most likely play for a second tier European club (maybe PSG???? actually second tier is too kind for PSG). What will these "old horses" do for MLS? I would argue that other than giving the MLS some marketing and name recognition boost, it will do little for the product on the field. The expectations placed on the boots of Beckham may be too much to meet. Pundits and fans will expect players such as Beckham to dominate the league, score goals, pile up assists at record paces.....however this is highly unlikely. Soccer is a team sport, with out a supporting cast one gifted player cannot entirely take over a game: Pele's Brazil teams were STACKED, Zidane always had players like Vieira, Deschamps, Henry, Desailly, Blanc to support him...maybe the only time a player carried a team was the 1990 Argentina team that made it to the finals on the shoulders of Maradona.

However Beckham will be coming into a league and a team that does not have the talent his Real Madrid or Manchester United teams had. Additionally Beckham himself, is no longer the golden boy of football, his best years are behind him.

Rather than spending the $250m on a player for 5 years, I think the MLS would be better served investing in their youth system, coaching, facilities, and young american talents. Why not try and retain some of the youth in the MLS? I understand the best competition is in Europe, but sometimes money talks. Why not try and get a hold of some of the young talent in lesser South American leagues, this would give the MLS a new flavor and could be a good business decision since said players could then be sold to Europe at a profit.

I am sure the Galaxy is excited about bringing the former England captain, but once the media buzz settles I am not sure we will see the improved product and the league moving up to the next level.