Temperamental Genius

Every club has one, and if they don't, they want one. The on-field genius with a screw loose. The creator and the destroyer all in one. The make-or-break factor that carries a club to dizzying heights, or causes the same club to spiral out of control. More often than not, the player is an attacking midfielder or forward with mesmerizing skill, but a tragic flaw that can drive the player to inspiring brilliance or cut him off at the knees.

These players are infamous in their magnificence and petulance. From the "modern" age (2000 and on) we can name such players as Francesco Totti, Adriano, (fat) Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Antonio Cassano, David Beckham and most famously, Zinedine Zidane. These players, all oustanding talents in their own rights, have infamous shortcomings that have pushed them over the edge on various occasions. From Totti's spitting incident and Adriano's double-fisted to Ronaldo's partying and Zidane's legendary temper, there is plenty of evidence that these temperamental geniuses are often their own worst enemies.

The tragic flaw is not a product of the modern environment, but rather a characteristic of legendary footballers through the ages. Going back through time, such players as Eric Cantona, Diego Maradona and Edmundo were all famed for their mental lapses, snapping on players, fans even animals.

Such reprehensible behavior would not be tolerated from these players if they didn't produce such remarkable displays of footballing prowess and beauty. For every double-footed stamp by Totti there was a mazy run from inside his own half. For every reckless tackle from Zidane there was his graceful pirouette and slide-rule passing. These players' exquisite play comes with a price, but for such fantastic displays, I (and most fans of the beautiful game) deem it worth it.

Why Does Capello keep on picking Beckham?

There has been much debate on newspapers and talk shows about why David Beckham continues to be picked for the English National Team. While Michael Owen has been getting overlooked for a spot. Fabio Capello’s rationale of why Owen cannot make the team is that he is on a Newcastle team that is struggling in the English Premier League. I cannot defend that because David Beckham is on the worst team in the MLS, a third tier league among the leagues in the World. I believe I have an idea why Capello continues to pick Beckham in his national team and it falls closely in line with their days at Real Madrid.

I remember when David Beckham signed his 5 year/$250 million MLS contract in the winter of 2007 while he was on the Real Madrid side managed by Fabio Capello. When this happened, Capello shunned Beckham and told him that he would never play for his Real Madrid side again. At that time, Beckham became a practice player for Real Madrid. Madrid began to struggle during this period and it looked like Capello wasn’t doing a good enough job as coach and it would be another trophyless season for Los Merengues. Then around springtime, Fabio Capello saw that David Beckham was improving his play among the reserves. Beckham could have easily taken his foot off the pedal and coasted along, but Don Fabio and Beckham's teammates saw the improvements that Beckham was making and Capello decided to let Beckham back in the first team side. After his return, Real made a run all the way to the Primera Liga title and Beckham was an instrumental part of the side winning their first trophy since 03.

I do think that Fabio sees Beckham as an important part of his England side, and I think he does owe Beckham for his services when they both were in Real. Do I think it is right? No, but I do think it is an logical reason while the ageing icon is still in the side. However Fabio is not a stupid man, he is not going to pick Beckham unless he is playing first-team football in Europe during the MLS break. That is why Becks is desperate to go back to Europe. The fact that the LA Galaxy continues to be the worst team in the MLS also helps Beckham's decision to possibly return to Europe.

The Pension Club

This morning, Goal.com reported that AC Milan is interested in launching a bid for 33-year-old David Beckham in the January transfer window. Beckham is set to train with Milan in January, and the Italian club will once again attempt to capture one of the world's most recognizable sports figures after missing out on him 2 years ago.

Milan has one of the oldest squads in the Italian Serie A, not to mention in Europe. With fully 15 out of their 27 squad players 30 years or older, an injection of youth is sorely needed. Enter... Beckham? While it is difficult to argue against Beckham's obvious quality, he's simply not what Milan needs at this point. Beckham does provide unmatched set piece ability, pinpoint crossing, and laser-accurate long balls. However, quite frankly: he's getting old.

Beckham has never been the quickest of players, and that has worked to his advantage as he's aged. He has been able to retain the same skillset through the years without having to adjust his game drastically because of a lack of pace or agility. However, pace and agility is something that Milan could do with a bit more of, especially given that the two players who possess most of it are regularly chopped down violently (Kaká) and still developing (Alexandre Pato).

In Milan's defense, however, Beckham's proven skill gives indication that he will most likely be able to settle into the slower, more tactical Serie A rapidly. He can provide much-needed service to ageing striker Andriy Shevchenko, and he would provide the long passing ability that Milan desperately misses in the injury-enforced absence of Andrea Pirlo.

Time will tell if Beckham is a proper fit for Milan. As a die-hard Juventus fan, I sincerely hope he's a flop. As a football fan, I hope he plays brilliantly but Milan loses every game in which he plays.