photo from http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20021218/biz.htmSo I decided that this being World Cup week, I should find out more about the world of soccer sculpture. Of course there are the biggies, like Uwe’s giant foot in Germany, but the best stories seem to revolve around the fabled Brit- David Beckham.
The first story hit the press in 2000 when an ultra fan in Thailand, a sculptor with the unpronounceable name of Thongruang Haemhod, made a one foot high likeness of his highness out of gold leaf. A little de trop, but not particularly newsworthy. But it’s all, as they say, in the presentation. This little piece was placed in a niche in Pariwas Temple in Bangkok’s Chinatown right among the other bodhisatvas. A soccer saint, so to speak. With floppy hair and duds.
There was a flap, of course, among the devout, but certainly nothing like what, say, Our Lady of the Sea or First Baptist United would experience in similar circumstances. The Thai Abbot won my heart by saying that “Football has become a religion and has millions of followers.” Adapt. Adapt! We can learn a lot from the East... The sculptor said he did the piece to keep Beckham’s memory alive for 1000 years… Like an athletic Leif Erickson or Ethelred the Unready…
2002 was pretty big for both Becks- sculpture wise. First they got pretty carried away by this immortality thing and commissioned a 20’ bronze statue of them and their kid Brooklyn for their back yard.
Then Mme. Tussaud’s hoisted their wax David in full fluff on to the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square during the Nigeria game. Unfortunately, it was pulled after an hour.
Wax was sturdier than the Japanese Beckham-mad tribute to him in Tokyo in December, though. A 10 ft high CHOCOLATE Dave stood for a while in downtown Tokyo. He was an advertising ploy for Meiji Seika’s “Almond choco” line. Chocolate nuts. Hold me back!!!!
Enough? Not quite, fans.
Fast forward to 2004. Christmas time to be exact. Beckham appears again- this time in a Nativity scene at Mme. Tussaud’s. (This guy is quite a little money maker for the wax industry, apparently.) He’s Joseph, Vicky is Mary and the kid doesn’t look like either of them.
Whatever will happen this year to the aging midfielder?
And that’s what I have to say about soccer statues- at least for the moment.
