Ex-Spurs star David Ginola says David Beckham’s reputation far outweighs his ability as a footballer.
Ginola has dismissed Beckham’s move to PSG as a nothing more than a PR stunt from the Qatari owners. 37-year-old Beckham signed a five-month-deal at the French club in January.
Yet Ginola believes that the Parisien club only signed the former England captain for his commercial pull and to bring media interest to the club.
“Strategically, this is a great idea. It’s a marketing coup in the Anglo-Saxon way,” Ginola told Le Parisien.
“By announcing that his salary will be donated to charity associations, they created a dramatic effect, a communication effect.”
This criticism comes after PSG announced Beckham would be donating all of his wages to children’s charities in Paris, whilst he was at the club. Many said it was simply done for commercial reasons..
Also, at 37, some have questioned whether Beckham can still perform at a top European side. The midfielder has yet to appear for his new club, but could get the opportunity against Ligue 1 rivals Marseille on Sunday.
If Beckham does play then he will be up against another of his critics – Joey Barton. Barton is on-loan at Marseille from QPR and last week announced that he was not worried about Beckham’s threat.
“I don’t mean any disrespect but he is not as scary as when he was playing in the Premier League,” Barton was quoted on BBC Sport.
“He is not our main concern.”
The French media have portrayed Beckham and Barton as an angel and a devil after the Marseille man’s comments. It seems Beckham may have to prove himself to a lot of people if he makes his PSG debut tomorrow.
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