The multi-coiffed career of the man known as “Becks” would appear to have rounded the last turn, if not reached the finish-line.

David Beckham has announced that he’ll be leaving MLS after the LA Galaxy play in the championship game this Sunday, and while he’s indicated that he’d like to catch on somewhere else, be it Europe or China, the possibility is strong that this could well be the last meaningful bow for the former England captain, right-sided midfielder, fashion model, and world ambassador.

Exit, stage right?

Like a 60s TV show where the protagonist had one career while solving crimes on the side, Beckham the footballer was often overshadowed, literally and figuratively, by three-storey underwear photo-shoots (and what stylish underwear too…), and the itinerary of the roving sporting ambassador, flying the flag for the Mother Isle.

The Atlantic Voice prides itself on taking a global, well, trans-atlantic view, and it’s through that prism that we’re more than happy to give Beckham his due for all his off-the-field activities. Back in Blighty it can be too easy to be dismissive of a personality who has appeared to value what he does outside the lines more than what he’s done inside them – sports figures should be sticking to what they do best, no? Western society seems to love nothing more than knocking down a peg or too a public figure who seems to have gone beyond his brief and Beckham has too often be found guilty by the neurotic court of public opinion.

As he gets to the end of his career it’s worth taking a second look at Beck’s extra-curricular resume. He’s made a ton of money endorsing products that have nothing to do with his sport, but why is that so bad? Musicians and actors are constantly endorsing products that have nothing to do with their line of work, so why begrudge Beckham? He’s not the first celebrity to marry another (yes that’s right, the Spice Girl, don’t you remember?), yet you’ll never find a journalist who isn’t ready to take a shot at Posh and Becks. But count it up, they’ve been married thirteen years!

What is so bad about Beckham throwing his celebrity behind England’s World Cup bid, or doing whatever he was asked to assist with the London Olympics, an event that took place in the very area he was born? Many a celebrity has made their money and disappeared from public view – Beckham has taken the money for sure, but he hasn’t run; he has tried, in a genuinely self-effacing way, to give back.

And for all the hype that has constantly surrounded him, his celebrity aura clearly out-sizing the sport where he made his name, there is no denying that in that sport Beckham is deserving of the attention. You don’t get selected over a hundred times for your country, many as captain, if you’re not the best at what you do. And you don’t win trophies for every club that has employed you, in some cases multiple victories, if you are all style and no substance.

Beckham isn’t in the conversation for the greatest player that ever lived, not by a long way, but he has been one of the best of his generation and we suspect that no team has regretted for a moment offering him a contract. And if that is the standard (what other standard should there be for a professional athlete?), than everything that has surrounded Beckham is a footnote rather than a headline.

David Beckham’s footballing career may be close to, if not at, its end, but if everything else that has defined his public image is honestly assessed for its worth, we hope that he won’t be fading away.