Opinion: The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall

It's just a game, apparently. Well, tell that to the stars of Euro 2004 who are facing an ignominious fall from grace in the aftermath of their teams elimination from the European Championships. When a kick of the ball or a bad result can wipe away the memories of awe-inspiring performances, the years spent carving hard won respect and the struggle to maintain flawless reputations then it's much, much more than a game. It is past, present and future wrapped up in one very fragile package.

The trials and tribulations currently facing damaged icons such as David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane are evidence of the rapidly spinning carousel of public opinion and taste. They are indicative of the modern transformation of footballers from athletes to celebrities and a sign of the times where private lives make as many headlines as achievements on the field.

In these days of fashion contracts, promotional duties and marketable qualities, there are many more areas to exploit than just the work carried out on the pitch. The network which supports the soccer star's elevation to icon status is one reminiscent of a house of cards, each one a different persona created to enlarge the player beyond his core strength. One gust of bad publicity can force the whole cultivated image to wobble, one missed penalty can bring it all crashing down.

David Beckham is a man who has already seen one house of cards hit by a bulldozer and is facing an even bigger demolition job this time around. Back in 1998, Beckham effigies were burning outside stadiums the length and breadth of the U.K. just days after the impetuous boy wonder of the England World Cup team had been sent off against Argentina in the quarter-final elimination of his team. To his considerable credit, Beckham weathered that particular storm to ascend to the heights of England captain. On his way to that summit, his advisors cleverly began building the Beckham brand through endorsements and eventually a big-money move to Real Madrid which sent Beckham global.

Terrible year begins in Spain

Beckham's right foot took England to Japan/Korea in 2002. His leadership took them to Euro 2004. But then came Beckham's annus horribilis. Madrid were heading to their first trophy-free season in five years, Beckham's temperament and form were suspect, his private life rife with rumors of infidelity. Not the perfect background for leading England to European glory. Surely things couldn't get any worse? But then they did.

Beckham's below-par performances, lack of focus and fitness, and those two missed penalties turned the limelight into an ugly spotlight which exposed all the blemishes. Captain Invincible had been shown up as a fallible human; the opposite of the image his marketing people had been hanging their products on.

The commercial impact of Beckham's underachievement has already begun. The Far East market, which underpins his commercial value, has turned against him. "Blow it like Beckham," read a front-page headline of Singapore's Straits Times, along with a photograph of him slumped on the ground after his quarter-final penalty miss. "In just one season, the world has witnessed the downfall of the game's most phenomenal brand, " wrote Singapore's Sunday Times. "One so ubiquitous in its global attack that it seems such a shame he is now defenseless in defeat, because, with or without his famed right foot, the poor fellow really isn't skilful enough."

Marketing plan over football

The tabloid paper New did not hold back either. "No-one is more over-hyped than David Beckham. And no-one is more underachieved."

Then former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz claimed the signing of Beckham had made the team 'unbalanced' and was done solely for 'marketing' purposes. Already talks are doing the rounds that Real could cut their losses and sell the England captain just one year after he signed for €37.2 million (£25 million).

Most recently, the backlash has hit street level. A photographic portrait of Beckham at London's Royal Academy of Arts had to be removed from display after being defaced by graffiti. The words "You loosers" was written in indelible red felt pen on the 1.5 meter high picture of Beckham in an exhibition of pictures of the world's greatest living soccer players.

The vandals spelt "loosers" with a double "o" in a possible reference to Rebecca Loos, the woman who earlier this year claimed she had an affair with the England captain.

Time for a new face to dominate the billboards?

Beckham's fall from grace is as much to do with the need for a replacement icon than anything else. Ironically, it could be his more prolific England team-mate Wayne Rooney who is courted as the new kid on the commercial block. Beckham's recent failures have just speeded up the marketing turnover machine which is always looking for the next big thing.

Zidane's downfall, however, seems more mercenary. Beckham may have bored everyone to the point of indifference with his ubiquity but Zidane's only failure is to end his international career on the losing side. The man whose face was beamed onto L'Arc de Triumphe after scoring two goals in France's 1998 World Cup Final victory over Brazil and who helped Les Bleus win the European Championship two years later is now the country's scapegoat.

French hero turned French scapegoat

Few would argue that the French team that capitulated to Greece in the quarter-final would not have been there had it not been for Zidane's goals against England and Switzerland. While his performances throughout the tournament were well below par, ten other men also failed in their attempt to retain the title yet it is Zidane who is taking the full blame for France's elimination. "Zidane was practically useless during the first half," L'Equipe wrote about the defeat by Greece. "Can Zizou quit the national team after such a lackluster performance?"

It was then revealed that Thierry Henry had been plotting to oust the two-time world Player of the Year from the French squad. According to Le Parisien, Henry is keen to assume Zidane's role as France's leading player and wants the team to be built around him, believing the way the team was built to suit the talents of Zidane lessened the impact he could make in front of goal. The paper cites how the player power of Henry, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieria forced Jacques Santini to get Zidane to play on the left, then the center and, finally, on the right, in the 0-1 defeat by Greece so as to please Henry and Pires.

Some people expected more from Zidane and have manifested their disappointment in their team in the form of blame which has been placed squarely on his shoulders. Others have allegedly begun to sully the legend for their own gain.

In both cases it proves that memories in soccer are short and achievements quickly fade in the glare of failure.