You're too, too kind, Sir.

Beckham has a habit of popping up in the right place at the right time. The free-kick against Greece that put us into the 2002 World Cup, and the penalty against Argentina (the team that turned him into the most hated man in England in '98) spring to mind. He also happens to be the captain in an era when England are finally doing something about slaying their demons, ie, Germany and Argentina. As someone who has been an England fan in an era when England have done precisely sod all, I can't begin to tell you how important this is. As I write, England are in the final 8 of the most open football tournament in years, and I have this horrible feeling that we could win it.

However, he also has a reputation of choking when it counts, too. The girly kick in the Argentina game in '98, and pussying out of a tackle that led to the winning goal in the Brazil game of '02 are the two obvious examples that spring to mind.

But the main thing about Beckham is how he handles his business off the field, which is in a very professional, calculating, and (I have to say this, and I don't mean it in an insulting way) American manner. When Beckham gets his hair cut, you will see hundreds of people rocking the same style the next day. When he had his D'Angelo braids, loads of people who should have known better did the same thing.