Look who’s talking!

There are three things I never thought would happen. David Beckham advising fellow players to stick to the club they love; John Terry contemplating leaving Chelsea and cows drinking beer. And would you believe it, all three did.

Make no mistake, I am a huge admirer of Mr Beckham, as you would have gathered from the earlier articles printed in this space. But I found it a tad amusing when he spoke about the love for one’s club above and beyond the lure of big bucks. For his motive in playing in the Major League Soccer wasn’t exactly humanitarian.

 So, when after returning to Los Angeles Galaxy after a six months loan to AC Milan, Beckham spoke on John Terry’s intentions of leaving Chelsea, I couldn’t help but say, ‘Hah.’ Of course, Terry leaving Chelsea is just as unfathomable but we shall come to that later.

“I don’t think JT will move because he’s Chelsea through and through. But football’s business. If you’ve got passion to play for the club you’re at, then that goes beyond money,” Beckham said.

Beckham had left Manchester United for Real Madrid in a dramatic move in 2003. Of course, then it hadn’t had anything to do with love for the club, but the fact that his relations with boss Sir Alex Ferguson had soured. So much so, that Sir Alex had flung a shoe at him. Besides, the glitter of Real Madrid was just too bright for him to resist. But it was Beckham’s move to LA Galaxy that raised many eyebrows.

His contract with the LA team was worth $250 million over a period of five years, with a stake in the club and a share in its profits. Imagine all of that money to play in a mediocre football league. So, he’s probably the last person John Terry will take advice from.

Terry, on the other hand, has got a mind-boggling offer from Manchester City, close to £200,000-a-week plus bonuses and a significant signing-on fee. I am sure it would have got him thinking. But Terry is to Chelsea what Bollywood is to Mumbai. It’s difficult to imagine them apart.

Chelsea’s manager Carlo Ancelotti is convinced that there is no way the England captain will leave the Blues. His teammates think so too. Someone or the other is coming out with statements saying Terry isn’t even thinking about it and concentrating on the club’s tour to the US. Are they just trying to feel better? Can Manchester City really pull of another major transfer deal? Only time can tell. But even if Terry is in two minds, it’s something I never thought was possible.

Oh, and about the cows drinking beer. In Japan, cows are fed beer to make their meat tender. Apparently, the meat is hugely popular in markets like America and Europe for its succulence. And now meat producers around the world are adopting the technique, of feeding their cattle beer.