Bend-it king

The answer lies in his unabashed craving for celebrity status and its trappings. Where other footballers will hunt out a place far from the madding crowd, Beckham will unerringly gravitate towards it. So the sarong, the hair-styles, the appearances at Milan8217;s fashion shows, the TV interviews at Beckingham Palace.

Through all this, though, he remains very close to his roots 8212; and to his market. He dresses as any other 20-something, speaks the same language, listens to the same music. The kitsch is calculated.

If kids love him, so do their parents. Beckham doesn8217;t smoke, doesn8217;t drink, is faithful to his wife, adores his kids. Other footballers who8217;ve had it all 8212; George Best, Paul Gascoigne 8212; fell prey to their own success, consumed by drink and women in one case and by drink and friends in the other. Beckham is the the model husband/parent, the model role model. Indeed, he would be boring were it not for the Mohican and the tattoos, the glitter and the glory.

And the tragedy! For Beckham8217;s career has been an amazing roller-coaster ride of emotions, spinning as wickedly and discerningly as one of his shots. The Golden Boy of English football announced his arrival for his club with a breathtaking shot, from inside his own half, that beat the goalkeeper to hit the back of the net. It was the goal of the season; that was 1996 and he was 21.

Two years later he went to the World Cup in France with a resurgent English team. He scored from another spectacular free-kick against Colombia but, against Argentina, was sent off after churlishly kicking an opponent. England lost the match and the knives were out. To a man, the nation rose against Beckham. His effigies were strung up; one tabloid published a dartboard with his picture in the centre; even his own manager, unforgiveably, left him to stew.

That was just the beginning. Playing for Manchester United, Beckham was singled out for horrific abuse. His own masculinity and parentage apart, his wife and baby boy were also fair game. Only he knows how he bore this without cracking up and it is a testimony to his amazing resolve that he didn8217;t hit the bottle or worse.

Yet it took just a couple of years for him to win hearts back. In 2000, he was made England team captain and won the backing of his manager and his teammates. He then scored yet another dream goal, taking England to World Cup 2002 with virtually the last kick of the qualifying match against Greece. Once in Japan, he banished old ghosts by scoring the decisive penalty against Argentina.

Yet through all his on-field exploits the off-field celebrity shadowed him like an eager defender and his manager Alex Ferguson, a dour Scot of the old school who ran his team like a footballing Borstal, increasingly resented the intrusion of the frivolous into the footballing. His departure appeared imminent; only the venue was to be decided.

It8217;s fitting that he has gone to Real Madrid; no other club would be able to handle the publicity blitz that has already started. However, among the galacticos of Spain8217;s top team, celebrity won8217;t work; football alone will have to speak up for David Beckham. Does he have the voice to do so?