A filin wasa, FIFA World Cup na Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Lamine Yamal, da Lionel Messi ne. A wajen filin, wani mutum ya mamaye yanayin kasuwanci na gasa da babu wani dan wasa mai aiki zai iya daidaitawa: David Beckham.

Tsohon kyaftin na England ya fuskanci kamfen din talla na brands goma sha daya a wannan World Cup — jerin da ya taso daga McDonald's da Major League Soccer zuwa Stella Artois, Home Depot, da Bank of America. Idan masu kallo a Amurka sun rasa gani a lokacin hutu na kasuwanci, da sun ga shi a fagen gasar bude wa Amurka a Los Angeles, zaune kusa da abokinsa Tom Cruise.

A wannan rana, Beckham ya zama dan wasan ƙwallon ƙafa na farko da ya samu tauraro a Hollywood Walk of Fame — da Cruise kuma yana tsaye kusa da shi. Wannan karramawa ta tabbatar da abin da da yawa a duniyar tallace-tallace suka daɗe suna zargi: Beckham ba dan wasan ƙwallon ƙafa da ya yi ritaya ne kawai ba. Ya zama cibiyar al'adu.

Fiye da bugun wuta

Stacy Jones, wacce ta kafa kuma Shugabar Zartarwa na wakilan tallace-tallace Hollywood Branded, ta yi imanin cewa jan hankalin Beckham na fagen-fagen daban-daban kamar babu makamancin sa. "David yana magana da mutane da yawa daban-daban. Na yi zaton hakan ne ya sa shi ya bambanta," in ji ta. "Yana jawo masu sauraron mata saboda yana da kyau sosai — amma yana faranta wa maza rai. Shi mutum ne mai gaskiya, nagari, na asali, mai taka tsantsan. Don haka ba ka ji haushin sa da gaske ba."

Wannan faɗin jan hankalin ya bayyana a Hermosa Beach, kudu da Los Angeles, inda ɗaruruwan magoya baya suka taru a wani taron da LA Galaxy ta shirya domin kallo Spain ta kai wasan karshe na World Cup. Ka tambayi waɗannan magoya baya game da Beckham, amsoshi suna zuwa da sauri — bugunsa na wuta, Victoria Beckham, Spice Girls, tallace-tallacen McDonald's — kafin kowa ya ambaci wata ƙwallo ko wasa a musamman.

Wani magoya baya ya bayar da ra'ayinsa da faɗi kai tsaye: "David Beckham ɗan wasa ne mai kyau sosai ga England, amma yanzu yana yin tallace-tallace da yawa sosai." Duk da haka, wannan zargi kansa ya auna yadda yake ko'ina.

Canza ƙwallon ƙafa ta Amurka — sau biyu

Rinjayar kasuwanci ta Beckham ta samu tushe a gado na ƙwallon ƙafa wanda ya canza wasanni a Amurka. Dan Courtemanche, Mataimakin Shugaban Zartarwa da Daraktan Sadarwa na Major League Soccer, ya faɗi a fili: "Kullum ina gaya wa mutane cewa ya canza makomar ƙwallon ƙafa ta Amurka. Ba sau daya ba, sau biyu."

Sa'ad da Beckham ya shiga LA Galaxy daga Real Madrid a 2007, filayen wasa a duk Major League Soccer sun cika kafin ya buga wata gasar hukuma. Kungiyar na bukatan amintattu; Beckham ya kawo shahara a babban mataki — wani abu wanda yana da ƙarfi fiye da haka.

Shekara goma sha shida bayan haka, Beckham ya taka rawa mai muhimmanci wajen lallashin Lionel Messi — gwaninrin Argentina — ya zaɓi Inter Miami maimakon tayin kishiyoyi daga ko'ina a duniya, ya haifar da wani gagarumin ci gaban shahararren MLS a duniya. "Lionel Messi ya yanke shawara ya mai da Major League Soccer kungiyarsa ta zaɓi da Inter Miami kulob ɗinsa na zaɓi," in ji Courtemanche. "Kuma, hakan ya ɗauke mu zuwa wani mataki daban gaba ɗaya."

Tom Braun, shugaban kuma babban jami'in aiki na LA Galaxy, ya amince da wannan ra'ayin. "David mutum ne mai alama a wasanninmu da al'adunmu. Ya gina kasuwanci a kusa da alamarsa kuma yana ci gaba da shafar mutane," in ji shi.

Dan wasan aji mai aiki a Hollywood Boulevard

An kuma ga mutumin mai shekaru 51 yana rerawa Wonderwall da Hey Jude yayin da yake murnar ƙwallaye biyu na Bellingham a kan Norway da suka tura England zuwa kusa da karshe — lokaci wanda ya nuna daidai yadda Beckham yake tafiya tsakanin ƙwallon ƙafa da al'adar jama'a ba tare da wahala ba.

Sa'ad da ya karɓi tauraronsa na Walk of Fame, Beckham ya faɗi cewa bai taɓa tunanin cewa "dan wasan ƙwallon ƙafa na Ingilishi na aji mai aiki" zai samu wannan daraja ba. Wannan karramawa ta bikin ba wai dan wasan da ya taimaka Manchester United lashe treble a 1999 ne kawai ba, wanda kuma ya kasance ɗaya daga cikin Galácticos na farko na Real Madrid — wanda kuma ya buga wa AC Milan da Paris St-Germain kafin ya yi ritaya a 2013 — har ma da sifar al'adun da ya zama tun daga wannan lokaci.

"David Beckham, ga Amurka, shi ne World Cup," in ji Jones. "Shi ne ƙwallon ƙafa a gare mu."

Ya zo Los Angeles yana alƙawarin bunƙasa wasanni. Kusan shekaru ashirin bayan haka, har yanzu yana cika wannan alƙawari — amma makamar ba bugu na wuta ba. Alama ce ta kasuwanci.