Just think Becks has had a pretty bad nick throughout his career and it’s worth defending him now, because he’ll be a proper legend for many many years to come.

His sending off in France 98 was silly, but unfair. Simeone completely overplayed the moment and he was made scapegoat by a public and media mindlessly baying for someone’s blood.

And don’t say he doesn’t have balls to take penalties – World Cup 2002 he’s got the courage to step up against none other than Argentina and slot home what proved to be the winner.

If it weren’t for him, we would never have played in World Cup 2002 in the first place – nobody in the world other than Beckham could’ve scored THAT goal against Greece. We needed him to bail us out against Ecuador 4 years later.

The statement ‘Beckham is a world class player past his prime’ was wailed from the press the moment McClaren reselected him. What did he do? Set up THREE of four England goals in the space of two games. And he did the business this year under Capello.

I really thought the naysayers would’ve shut up by now, but clearly there will always be some who will say he’s too old over and over again. And mark my words, he’ll continue to prove you wrong over and over again.

Call it a day, Dave. Stick with the Galaxy where you still “look” to be a cut above the rest and let the new blood come through for England and take us deep in the tournaments.

What I really admire in Beckham (especially when he was captain) was you can never knock his commitment to England. In a time when footballers are easily slaughtered for lacking national pride, Becks is always Exhibit A when it comes to the passion of play for your country.

The move to Milan will cement his place as a true legend of a game – his career will be remembered as a tour de force of the big three European leagues and a mark of his global success in playing in the US.

I for one look forward to having Beckham ready to play some part, great or small, in the 2010 World Cup. While we encourage younger players to break through, there’s nothing like having the masters still in your team to mix it up a bit and have the potential to produce moments of pure genius. Write of Beckham at your peril.

No one has turned his career round better then he has and respect goes to out to him. He may not be the sharpest tool when it comes to interviews but he has made a fantastic career both on and off the pitch.