David Beckham and Landon Donovan Feud Over
LA Galaxy Stars Make Up After Meeting with Manager Bruce Arena
The feud between Landon Donovan, the most successful United States soccer player in history, and David Beckham, global megastar and fashion icon, stemmed from comments made by Donovan to Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl for a book coming out in July, 2009 entitled The Beckham Experiment. In the book, Donovan criticizes his LA Galaxy teammate for a perceived lack of effort during the 2008 season, questions Beckham's abilities to lead the team as captain, and further alleges that Beckham acted "unprofessionally."
The recent ill-will between the players is the first to be publicly aired since David Beckham's much ballyhooed arrival in 2007, when he signed a multi-million dollar contract to join Los Angeles from Spanish side Real Madrid. Donovan's current discontent, however, likely traces back to the moment when Beckham's handlers requested that Donovan hand over the captaincy of the Galaxy to Beckham.
Beckham Hits Back
Upon returning from his successful loan spell at AC Milan, Beckham used a press conference to refute Donovan's claims, stating: "in 17 years, I have played with the biggest teams in the world and the biggest players and not once have I been criticized for my professionalism." Beckham went one further, asserting that it was Donovan, and not he, who acted unprofessionally in airing his gripes through the media rather than face-to-face.
Landon Donovan Apologizes
Donovan, while not going so far as to apologize for the way he felt at the time of his comments to Wahl, conceded even before Beckham's counterattack that he should have addressed his concerns with Beckham privately. Manager Bruce Arena backed Donovan, claiming that the controversy stirred up by Donovan's indiscrete remarkes has taught the American star a valuable lesson.
Controversy Good for MLS and the LA Galaxy?
Coming in the wake of the United States' improbable run to the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup, the feud between Donovan and Beckahm has helped keep US Soccer on the sports radar. Both SportsCenter and Pardon The Interruption have featured segments on the spat between the LA Galaxy stars.
The Feud Between Donovan and Beckham Ends
On Monday, July 13, Beckham, Donovan, and LA Galaxy manager Bruce Arena sat down for private, clear-the-air talks ahead of Beckham's first official practice since re-joining the Galaxy from Italian giants AC Milan. Donovan again expressed regret for his actions, while Beckham, for his part, declared the matter squashed. The Galaxy returns to action with a friendly match against AC Milan on July 19.
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