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LOS ANGELES: Landon Donovan has issued the Los Angeles Galaxy an ultimatum - have English superstar David Beckham clean up his act or risk the departure of Donovan, the club's all-time top active scorer.
"Let's say he does stay here for three more years. I'm not going to spend the next three years of my life doing it this way. This is (expletive) miserable," Donovan said in passages from a forthcoming book put on Sports Illustrated's website.
US national team captain Donovan blasted Beckham in the book, entitled "The Beckham Experiment", questioning the former England captain's work ethic, leadership and ability to be a good teammate on the Major League Soccer squad.
"Maybe he's not a leader. Maybe he's not a captain," author Grant Wahl quotes Donovan as saying in the book, scheduled to be released later this month.
"But at a minimum you should bust your ass every day. That hasn't happened."
Donovan, who led the Americans to a runner-up finish on the weekend at the 2009 Confederation Cup, is one of the most decorated players in Galaxy history.
He leads all active Galaxy players in career goals (58), assists (44), shots (226) and game-winning goals (14). He holds club records for multi-goal games (14) and penalty-kick goals (17).
Donovan believes that Beckham, as the highest-paid player in the US league, has a responsibility to his team and especially to his Galaxy teammates to set an example through hard work.
"If someone is paying you more than anybody in the league, more than double anybody in the league, the least we expect is that you show up to every game, whether you are suspended or not.
"Show up, train hard, show up and play hard.
"As time has gone on, that has not proven to be the case in many ways, on or of the field."
Beckham is currently on loan from Los Angeles to AC Milan. The 34-year-old Beckham was originally supposed to return for the entire 2009 season but got his stay in Europe extended to halfway through the MLS season.
Beckham is scheduled to return to the Galaxy on July 16, two days after the release of the book.
"I can't think of another guy where I would say he wasn't a good teammate," Donovan said. "He didn't give everything through all of this. He didn't still care. But with (Beckham) I would say no, he wasn't committed."
Donovan said Beckham's attitude changed after the team got rid of former coach Ruud Gullit.
Gullit left the team a little over a month after Beckham played his first game in Los Angeles.
"He (Beckham) just flipped a switch and said, 'Uh-huh, I am not doing it anymore.'
"It coincides with Ruud being let go."
Donovan said Beckham was sincere when he arrived in North America but became discouraged easily.
"He cared. He wanted to do well. He wanted the team and the league to do well," Donovan was quoted as saying.
"My sense is David is clearly frustrated that he is unhappy and honestly, that he thinks it is a joke. I don't see dedication or commitment to this team and that is troubling."
- AFP/yb
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