Beckham not a 'great,' says former England winger Waddle

Former England winger Chris Waddle believes Paris Saint-Germain midfielder David Beckham is not good enough to be considered in the top 1,000 players of the Premier League era.

Beckham announced on Thursday that he will retire from football at the end of the season and has been universally lauded for an illustrious playing career. Yet Waddle has dismissed talk of the 38-year-old being a "great" and believes the game has seen a lot of more talented players than Beckham.

"I would say he has been a good player, I wouldn't put him down as a great," Waddle told BBC Radio 5 Live. "You can go down a list of footballers since the Premier League, and I don't think David Beckham would probably be in the first 1,000.

"I think there has been a lot more talented players in the world. But he made the most of what he has got."

The 52-year-old Waddle, who won 62 England caps as a wide midfielder, believes Beckham has used his "terrific image" to good effect but was limited to being a hard-working player without any speed or flair.

"He has got a terrific image and used it very well," Waddle continued. "He never had a trick, wasn't particularly quick, but he was very good at set-pieces and deliveries, he made chances and made goals and was fantastic for clubs.

"He said the right things, he sold shirts, he put money in the tills wherever he went and conducted himself well.

"As a player I would say he was a fantastic crosser of the ball, a great athlete. Now people will be talking about him and saying 'how great, how great'. I would say 'how good.'

"I would not say he was a great. He was very good at his job, he worked very hard as a professional footballer."