Beckham shows Wayne Rooney how to survive the circus
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David Beckham has never let the distractions of a high-profile lifestyle affect his football. Photograph: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images
David Beckham returned to Major League Soccer at the weekend, coming on for the last 20 minutes of LA Galaxy's 3-1 victory over Columbus Crew. This was his first appearance since rupturing his achilles tendon in March and the crowd gave him a warm welcome. Afterwards he recounted his second-half conversation with the Galaxy head coach, Bruce Arena. "He came up to me and said, 'How about 10 to 15 minutes?' I was like, 'Well, how about 20 to 25?' He kind of listened to me and we met in the middle." At 35 years of age, Goldenballs is still hungry for game time.
With all the money and honours and fame that one man could desire, his appetite is not sated. If he never pulls on an England shirt again, it will not be for the want of trying to convince Fabio Capello that his "too old" remark was premature. And only a fool would imagine that his principal motivation is to prolong the life of his brand. Beckham may be a shrewd businessman, but he loves football. As much, even, as Wayne Rooney does.
You can choose to believe Sir Alex Ferguson's claim before Saturday's match at Goodison Park that the decision to leave Rooney out of his squad was motivated by worries over abuse from the Everton fans. Or you can believe Mike Phelan, his assistant, who remarked afterwards that the decision had been taken because "Wayne wasn't ready to play". There is, however, a third possibility. Maybe Ferguson was just fed up with the whole Rooney circus and wanted to rid himself, temporarily, of a tiresome distraction.
It is now seven years since Ferguson's irritation with Beckham's celebrity, and in particular with the supposed effect of his pop-singing, clothes-designing wife on his ability to concentrate on the job at hand, reached critical mass. There was a famous occasion when Beckham was given a day off training to look after his young son, who had a tummy bug, only for Ferguson to explode when he discovered that Posh had been photographed that same evening at a fashion show in London.
For the crime of being a caring father who believed his wife's career to be as important as his own, Beckham was fined a fortnight's wages – £50,000 – and dropped.
It is poignant, in the light of recent events, to recall Ferguson's very deliberate praise for Coleen Rooney a couple of years ago. "She's a clever girl, who is down to earth," he said, in words taken by many as a tacit criticism of the flibbertigibbet Victoria Beckham. "Marriage helps footballers," he added. "It helps them settle down. You know where they are, too."
Well, maybe. Six years ago Ferguson paid £27m to attract Rooney to Old Trafford and he has certainly had his money's worth from a man who scored 35 goals in all competitionsfor Manchester United last season. This year things have been a little different.
Rooney has not been the same player since he was rushed back from an ankle injury to play a Champions League match last May. After a dreadful World Cup he came into the new season looking slimmer and more alert, but his first touch and his long-range shooting have become unreliable, and there has been a dimming of the sense of adventure that was so pronounced in the 16-year-old.
His effort is beyond dispute. His focus is not. We know, from various bits of evidence, that he likes a cigarette and a drink. And he seems to get himself into the sort of trouble that dear, old-fashioned Fergie apparently believed could be avoided by getting married.
It will be remembered that Beckham had his own little escapade shortly after leaving Old Trafford and moving to Madrid. His wife has said that, in the end, it made their marriage stronger. It certainly never affected his football. And while David Beckham plays on into the second half of his fourth decade, Wayne Rooney has us – and perhaps his manager, too – wondering whether he will still be in the game at 30.