12 Jul 2026 15:29:48
So, on England.
Do we agree or disagree that Beckham was world class?
His crossing was mostly excellent. His passing was very good overall. Beck's is spoken about as a passing god in England, even by great ex players.
PR hype.
Great on the dead ball. Gerrard, for example, was a better passer. Every range in his locker.
Beckham was never world class imo. A very limited player.
12 Jul 2026 16:27:47
Beckham was a very good player, but nowhere near world class for me.
World class business brain though!
12 Jul 2026 16:30:36
David Beckham didn't even class himself as 'world class' so the question is a bit strange.
12 Jul 2026 16:28:43
I think you're deluded if you think Beckham was a very limited player mate.
12 Jul 2026 16:52:18
The man who played in prime Man Utd, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and also played for a decent PSG side was extremely limited for sure.
He was class, end of.
12 Jul 2026 16:53:23
I don't think he was world class, I think he was just a level below, but there is nothing wrong with that, it still puts him in the top 5-10% of players to have ever played professionally.
12 Jul 2026 17:04:22
Business brain? When he was chosen by the media and given brands, deals and products. Not rocket science to say yes and then have a team to do stuff.
12 Jul 2026 17:09:58
An excellent player, but I wouldn't say world class.
12 Jul 2026 17:19:27
PostKlopp - Totally agree with the above, mate, but Beckham drives that brand and always has done - he's the one with the nouse and unlimited energy and eye for opportunities that still keeps pushing "brand Beckham" forward.
Anyone who thinks the guy hasn't got a world clad business brain are the same ones who think he couldn't play.
12 Jul 2026 17:35:50
Very good player but not world class. One of those lads who worked his arse off and made the best of what he had.
12 Jul 2026 17:46:00
Beckham crossed the ball in early because he didn't have any pace to beat a full back.
Great crosser and passer of a ball, defo top player but not top class.
Simioni will tell you that.
12 Jul 2026 17:48:16
Excellent player. A dead ball specialist and one of the best crossers of the ball in his generation. I wouldn't call him world class, but his grit and determination was always undervalued.
12 Jul 2026 17:48:42
Nah. Worked very hard and a wand of a right foot. But he was never the best player in any team he played in.
12 Jul 2026 18:25:28
Very good player Beckham but not world class. Think his public profile put him up there, bit like Pogba in that sense.
12 Jul 2026 18:37:48
My mate was a Man Utd season ticket holder and didn't rate Beckham, used to say he would try the Hollywood passes and only complete 1 in 6 which you would see on Match of the Day.
Just hype and a shirt seller for me.
12 Jul 2026 18:42:51
Similar to Trent in many ways.
Average to above average in many respects, but world class passing and dead ball ability.
Like others have said, it's the hard work and practising that dead ball ability that got him to the highs he got to.
It made up for some of his lack of talent or athleticism in other areas.
World class? Not sure, but I can't remember many other players back then, you could play on the right of a 442 who would do a better job there.
12 Jul 2026 19:05:13
Mikey, Beckham is not similar to Trent in any way. Nor does he possess the type of raw, unadulterated talent, technical and sheer ability with the ball at his feet.
Trent was a physical beast of an athlete who played game after game after game for years and was almost never injured until his final two years of his time here.
And Beckham may not have considered himself world class or people didn't really think he was. That does not apply to Trent in any way, imo. Trent was in his pomp, certified world class as a RB and as a footballer, overall. The things that kid was doing with a football from age 18 to 21 was unreal, man.
12 Jul 2026 19:15:10
It depends on your definition of world class. Some people say you need to be in the best XI in the world. Others just say that they are one of the top 20-30 players. Some think you need to be at Messi/Ronaldo/Ronaldinho levels.
My personal view is that he made the best of his talent, had the best right foot in the world, created countless opportunities, won most things at club level, was wanted by the biggest teams in Europe and worked his backside off for club and country.
That puts him in the world class category in my view, but he was never going to be Messi/Ronaldo/Ronaldinho.
12 Jul 2026 19:18:51
I'll go with George Best's appraisal of Beckham - he can't head it and he can't play with his left foot. He was not world class.
12 Jul 2026 20:06:33
Oli,
Do you actually read half the nonsense you come up with? "Trent was a physical beast of an athlete." ?♂️
12 Jul 2026 20:33:43
Think if he was playing now, he would be world class, but for his time, it was a tough class of legends, so I don't think so. For me, it's about if they would get into a world XI.
12 Jul 2026 21:25:47
Very very good player, but just shy of world class, I would say.
Best free kick taker of his generation (alongside Roberto Carlos).
Couldn't pass and overtake players like a traditional right sided player/wingers, but his crosses were sublime. Also very good on corners too.
Won everything at Club level with the biggest clubs.
12 Jul 2026 23:24:19
Beckham was similar to Trent. A great specialist, but his game was lacking everywhere else.
13 Jul 2026 03:33:22
Agree, @Chewy, both of them have one special talent, but there are so many other parts of the game that they were average / below average.
13 Jul 2026 08:30:23
Beckham? Skilled, no doubt about it. But definitely not world-class. More of a marketing machine and fashion wannabe. With all the professionals around him and his wife, he couldn't help being successful in business.
13 Jul 2026 09:09:50
He lives not far from me, bump into him at the local coffee place every now and then. Forgetting football, I was never his biggest fan as he came across as very focussed on pushing his brand.
However, he is actually really nice in person and always makes time to have a chat. He seems genuinely down to earth.
Victoria, on the other hand, is a bit different, shall we say!