But in the past few years his football career has gone downhill. In 2003, he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid, but Real Madrid have not been a succesful team in the last few years. Last summer, he captained the England team at the World Cup, but again England were not successful. He has now been dropped as England captain, and plays only irrregularly for Real Madrid. As a footballer, David Beckham is past his best.

　　Other footballers who find that their finest playing days are over do something like this:

　　they move to a smaller club;

　　or they make a new career in football, perhaps coaching younger players, or managing a club, or writing about football for the newspapers;

　　or they retire from football and run a pub in a quiet village in the country, or a night club in Spain.

　　But David Beckham is not going to do any of these things. He is going to move to America later this year to play for Los Angeles Galaxy. He will become one of the highest paid sportsmen in the world; over the next 5 years, he may earn as much as $250 million. This is remarkable because football is not a top sport in the United States. Indeed, when Americans talk about “football” they mean a completely different game in which very big men try to knock each other to the ground while kicking or throwing a ball shaped like an egg. In America, you have to say “soccer” if you mean the game that the rest of the world calls football.

　　So how has this happened? There are rich people and rich companies in the United States who think that soccer could become a lot more popular in America than it is now. They see an opportunity to make money – lots of money. But they need a superstar – someone who is fabulously famous – to raise the profile of soccer in America, and bring in advertising and sponsorship. And David Beckham is a superstar. He is – or was – a brilliant football player. He is very good looking (or so my wife tells me). His wife is a former pop singer with the Spice Girls, where she was known as “Posh Spice”. Posh and Becks love the glamorous celebrity lifestyle – the lavish parties, the beautiful people, the fast cars, the big houses and swimming pools. They will love Hollywood. And Hollywood will love them.

　　There is another famous Englishman whose career has gone downhill in the past few years, in fact ever since he made a bad decision to invade Iraq. Yes, I mean Tony Blair, our Prime Minister. Like David Beckham, he is expected to leave his present job this year. Like David Beckham, he enjoys expensive holidays in exotic places, and the company of wealthy people. Like David Beckham, he is liked and admired in America. After he retires, he will probably spend a lot of time in that country, giving lectures and speaking at dinners. In five years time, which of the two will be the more succesful – the former football star, or the former Prime Minister? What do you think?