What the Becks

ZOE WALKER goes out on to the York streets in an attempt to fathom the mysterious appeal of Becks.

He's everywhere. There can't be a newsagent's shelf in the land on which he hasn't sat, grinning boyishly out from magazine and newspaper covers, staring back at the Great British public who made him a millionaire and then devoured every aspect of his life in print - the marriage to Posh, the births of Brooklyn and Romeo, the kidnap plot and that sarong.

Love him or hate him, there's no getting away from David Beckham. He's here to stay.

Or at least, we thought he was. Now Beckham is the subject of contested bids from two Spanish clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid - and possible interest from AC Milan.

His bosses at Manchester United are negotiating over his future, while the England captain is said to be unhappy with the idea of a transfer. Speculation as to what he will do is running rampant.

So the Evening Press went out on to Parliament Street, York, to see what the public think of Beckham. Rather like Madonna or Kylie or Saddam Hussein, Beckham has entered out cultural subconscious. In fact, try as we might we didn't find anyone from the ages of eight to 80 who didn't know who David Beckham was.

Everybody we came across seemed to have an opinion. Some expressed themselves in terms we couldn't possibly print here for fear of morally corrupting our readers and attracting a lengthy and expensive law suit.

Such depth of feeling shows that Beckham has permeated our national life so completely that we all think we know what is best for him.

"I'm an England fan and I think Beckham is a brilliant player, and I think David and Victoria Beckham make a really good couple. I am not a huge football fan but I'll go to any matches I can if somebody pays for the tickets," says Claire Martin, 20, of Durham.

"I think you should sell him or give him away - I don't care, I'm from Holland," says Stefan von Vlerken from Rotterdam. "You can't avoid Beckham on the radio or in the newspapers here. I am fed up with the publicity really. It's the only news of the day - I am very happy for you British that you have nothing else to worry about."

Perhaps Stefan has a point. Do we really have so little hard news requiring our attention that we need to occupy ourselves with the trials of a soft-spoken footballer and his outspoken wife? Or have we just become so celebrity obsessed that we really don't care if the world falls apart - just as long as we have our latest Becks fix to distract us?

"Yes, I know who he is," says Mrs Jones of Malton. "And yes I think he is in the headlines too much. I don't know why he needs to be in the headlines all the time. But I don't think he should go abroad - I think he is a good footballer and he should stay in this country."

"I think they have treated him really badly, Manchester United," says Robert Ebdon, of Darlington. "And I really think Ferguson has shafted him."

"I think he'll go," says Robert's brother Kenneth Ebdon, of Middleton, Teesdale. "We like him and we would be sorry to see him go. The papers are all over him and he loves that side of it. But they're all overpaid, these footballers."

At the other end of the scale were Sarah Haskins of Acomb, 23, and Natalie Pearson of Haxby, 26, who can't get enough of David Beckham. But it's safe to assume that it's not his dribbling skills they admire.

"Ooh, he's nice," they coo as our photographer Dave Harrison produces an A3 sized picture of Beckham from his bag of photographer's tricks. "I just think he's fit," says Sarah. "He's very nice to look at. And just like any other person really - I like that.

"And yes, we do really like hearing about what Posh and Becks have been up to in the press."

"I do think sometimes it's a bit much though," says Natalie. "Sometimes it's just like what they had for breakfast in the news and I think that's taking it too far."

As Dave is taking a photo, people start to mill about and peer at us as though we are Martians, and to wonder what all this Beckham fuss is about. A couple approach me and start to ask questions about whether or not we know if Becks is actually going to Spain or not, thinking perhaps that because we have a photo of Beckham we must have insider info.

It all starts to get a bit like a Zombie Flesh Eaters movie as the masses converge on us, until finally a shout goes up from the other side of Parliament Street.

"Get rid of him! Send him abroad!"

Dave spots the culprit and we approach him for his opinion.

"I can't stand him," says Craig Coombs, 20, of Clifton, York. "I'll be glad to see him go, I'm a Leeds United fan me."

Craig bobs about, obviously fuelled by his seething hatred of Beckham, a matter of principal if not a personal attack on the man himself. "Can we take a picture of you - just pretending to rip the picture of Beckham - not actually ripping it though?" says photographer Dave. Craig rips the photo in two.

So what has Craig got against Beckham?

"Well, he plays for Scum, doesn't he?" says Craig. "And if he came to play for Leeds, I still wouldn't like him because he's played for Scum.

"I don't think he's a good player - he's a bit of a pansy really. He's not a celebrity, he's just a football player."

They say there's nothing as crushing as indifference. David Beckham may inspire many emotions but indifference isn't one of them.

Updated: 09:09 Tuesday, June 17, 2003