Beckham to Australia “news” just a bunch of hooey

Reports out of Australia initiated global ripples yesterday, as mentions of David Beckham always have.

Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop dropped a little Beckham bombshell during a wide-ranging interview with the country’s Daily Telegraph. According to the newspaper, “Gallop confirmed David Beckham’s interest in a potential move to the A-League and said he would be delighted to see the former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar plying his trade on these shores.”

Only, it seems not to be true; Beckham’s representatives have denied the story outright.

We have learned through the years not to rule anything out with Beckham, especially when it comes to developments that could enhance the larger brand, as with last year’s “will he or won’t he” period of public flirtation with rising Paris Saint-Germain.

(MORE: Beckham still a marketing tour de force)

But this alleged Aussie arrival always seemed whacky.

Beckham is 37 and dealing increasingly with injuries and ailments that fall inexorably with the sands of time. So the alleged deal that would see Beckham arrive as a “guest player” to some A-Legue team in Australia, according to Gallop, made little sense.

Beckham, more than anyone, needs a period of recovery. At this point, he would get just two months before the Galaxy must be back at practice, into rehearsals before its March 4 CONCACAF Champions League contest with Costa Rica’s Herediano. (The Champions League schedule is here.)

Besides, a loan to an A-League side is hardly the same as a high-profile loan to an Italian Serie A club as we saw before. In those cases, the brand stood to benefit, and there were competitive reasons that made since for Beckham to stay sharp during those periods.