If David Beckham needed any further evidence, on top of his medals won in the field, that his annus horribilis is finally over, then he should listen to Pelé. In Barcelona yesterday, before the European Cup final, the Brazilian, who knows just a little bit about the pleasures and the pressures of football, selected Beckham as "one of the very great players of this year".
Beckham intrigues him. Pelé saw the petulant kick by Beckham that damaged England's prospects of advancing further in the World Cup last summer. Since then, he has watched Manchester United in the flesh five times and seen many moments on video that convince him that Beckham has not only recovered manfully from the criticism levelled at him then, but has developed his game to an outstanding level.
"From my point of view, he is a very important player for the team," Pelé said. "He works very hard, he has good vision, good movement and good delivery."
Beckham should have been at the lunch table with us. He would have heard the old maestro lament that players of today risk losing their identity, losing the rapport that he enjoyed between performer and audience. He was referring to players shifting their ground, losing the thread of continuity and the basis of loyalty and support from their admirers. Yet he singled out Beckham from this dehumanising process and added that the youth policy at Manchester United is something that he admires.
"But you must give him freedom," Pelé said. "Some coaches might try to put him in one position, I would not. I would organise the team and let him free. He knows what to do, where to go to make things happen."
