Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Milan move may well backfire on Becks

AC MILAN may have won the Champions League in 2007, but for the last four years they’ve failed to be top dogs in Italy because they’ve been considered to be too old. So 33-year-old David Beckham’s proposed loan move to the San Siro is hardly going to turn them into title contenders. It’s a great gig for Beckham but what will Milan get out of it?

The Rossoneri retirement home now makes Arsenal look like a kindergarten class. But the Milan bigwigs just can’t resist a reputation over potential. Having re-signed Andriy Shevchenko, a striker who doesn’t know which boot goes on which foot these days, and swooped for Ronaldinho, club vice-president Adriano Galliani topped the lot yesterday with the Beckham news.

“Beckham has chosen Milan. He’ll stay here in Milan on loan for a few months,” Galliani said. “Our squad is ultra-competitive and it will remain this way, but Beckham is something different and intriguing.” Some may read that as ‘old and past it’. Becks had hinted he was looking for a move from his cushy number at LA Galaxy and back to Europe during the MLS break in the first quarter of 2009 as he bids to stay involved in Fabio Capello’s England set-up and add to his 107 caps.

But, while he will be laughing all the way to the bank, able to maintain his supreme fitness and saunter round the fashion capital of Europe, will he actually help Milan’s quest for trophies? Don’t tell me its shirt sales. That’s what Kaka, Ronaldinho and Pato do. Maybe they’ve got too many letter ‘B’s in the club shop since his fellow Englishman Luther Blissett left the San Siro in the 1980s.

Capello has suggested Beckham needs to be playing regular football in the New Year if he is to be selected. But will he get a game for Milan? OK, he’s a great crosser of the ball, but Milan don’t play that way. He’s a great passer - but so are Kaka, Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf. Yes, he’s a gritty, tough-tackler these days. Stand up Gennaro Gattuso, Mathieu Flamini and Massimo Ambrosini.

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti seems happy though. “For me, it will be a pleasure. Beckham is a serious athlete. If he’ll be available for us, we’ll be very happy,” he said. But then cool Carlo was allegedly ‘happy’ when Shevchenko re-signed from Chelsea - and Sheva hasn’t been seen since. Becks’ Italian Job could prove to be a bigger mess than fellow cockney Michael Caine’s and leave him hanging off the international football cliff, wondering what to do next.

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