Opinion: What role will David Beckham play at Paris Saint-Germain?

PARIS, FRANCE - After weeks of speculation, David Beckham finally agreed to an 18 month deal with Paris Saint-Germain this Wednesday, in a contract worth €800,000 per month. The story made the headlines in the broadsheets and is already the subject of fierce debate in France. Ligue 1 fans are already wondering whether Beckham will raise the profile of the league, whilst bystanders are busy calling into question Beckham’s extortionate salary.

We ask: what role will David Beckham play at PSG, both on and off the pitch?

It does not take a rocket scientist to notice that PSG are trying to become one of the biggest brands in Europe. Qatar Investment Authority bought 70% of the shares earlier this year in the capital club, and now run the show. Leonardo was appointed as the Director of Football by the new President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, and PSG flexed their muscles in the summer transfer window, splashing out a record €42 million to beat Chelsea to the signature of the ‘next Messi’, Javier Pastore. Sissoko, Matuidi, Ménez and Gameiro were also drafted in, as was the Italian international goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.

What came as a surprise to many was Leonardo’s decision to stick with the incumbent coach Antoine Kombouaré at the time, who had guided the team to a Coupe de France in 2010. However this week has been all-change at PSG, as not only did Beckham sign the week they clinched top spot in Ligue 1 for the Christmas break, but Kombouaré was finally given the chop. It has been an embarrassing few weeks for the directors of the club, who have tried to persuade Makelele, Benitez and Ancelotti to take over, but today Carlo Ancelotti finally gave his word to take the poisoned chalice, after talks with Tottenham seemingly fell through.

With PSG just three points clear of Montpellier at Christmas, is David Beckham really the shrewdest signing? Surely they could do with a new striker, one that is a class apart from the current crop that includes Gameiro, Hoarau and Erding?

The bookmakers expect PSG to canter to victory in Ligue 1, as they are the current 4/7 favourites for the league with bet365 and Ladbrokes, meaning that for every £7 that punters bet on PSG, they stand to win £4 profit.

At 36-years-old, David Beckham is not going to be able to play the full 90 minutes for PSG in Ligue 1 matches like Joe Cole currently does for champions Lille, but he is still capable of carving a niche for himself in the PSG midfield. ‘Becks’ could be used at centre midfield alongside the defensive-minded Sissoko, pulling the strings behind Pastore and Ménez. After all it was the position he occupied at LA Galaxy, but given that Ligue 1 is played at a slightly higher intensity, he could find himself outpaced and out-muscled by some of his younger opponents. Nevertheless, it could be worth it just for his accurate passing and through-balls to cut through the Ligue 1 defences.  

The other option would be out on the right wing, which we think would be a more suitable position for him to take as an ‘impact substitute’. Beckham’s crosses have the potential to cause havoc in France, and not only would it force the current winger Ménez to pull up his socks, but it could also mean that Guillaume Hoarau is given a few more chances as the lone striker, standing tall at six feet and four inches.

If Beckham plays 10 to 15 matches with PSG this season, it will be almost impossible for him not to be granted his wish to lead out the British team at the 2012 Olympic Games at Wembley Stadium this summer. But on the other hand, if he were to break his Achilles tendon again he would surely call time on his playing days, and take an ambassadorial role, in the same way that Patrick Vieira called things to a halt at Manchester City.

Beckham’s role off the pitch is going to be a hell of a lot more important, especially as PSG look to be doing fine already, and Pastore can only improve in the second half of the season after a tepid start. He will have enormous value in shirt sales, and will increase the profile of PSG over in Asia, where he continues to be idolised. More difficult to measure will be Bekcham’s impact on the PSG ‘brand’ which Al-Khelaïfi is trying to build. That will surely grow from consistent appearances in the knock-out stages of the Champions League, something which took Jean-Michel Aulas several years to achieve with Lyon.

In the meantime Beckham will certainly have more British-based football fans tune in to watch Ligue 1, who will soon find out that the only way to watch Beckham and Cole this season from the UK is via the bet365 live streaming service. However that could all change in the next few years if Al-Khelaïfi’s broadcasting revolution continues – he has already bought the rights to the Champions League for the next three seasons in France for al-Jazeera Sports.

Beckham is likely join his new PSG team-mates on 30 December in their winter training camp in Qatar, but he is unlikely to play in the friendly against former club AC Milan on 4 January in Dubai.

Last month Ladbrokes were 6/4 that Beckham travels to Poland for Euro 2012 with the England team, but in a non-playing capacity. He was 16/1 to make the squad itself, and 8/1 to play again for England. Those markets have been taken down now due to the PSG move, but he can still be backed at 50/1 with the same firm to be the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2012, and finally Becks is 12/1 with the same firm to be the flag-bearer for Team GB at the opening ceremony for the Olympics.

Ligue 1 2011/12 Title Odds