By Frank Malley, Special to PA SportsTicker

LONDON (Ticker) - It is not difficult to see why some people find it easy to dislike David Beckham.

Many struggle to see past the tattoos.

Others despair at the daft children’s names, the pushy wife, the weedy voice, the pursuit of celebrity and the fact that pretty soon in America he will be earning as much in a day as the average junior doctor earns in a year for a less taxing job than he has at present.

There are plenty who say he does not deserve to be walking out to play Brazil on Friday night at the international opening of the new Wembley.

Even more who believe at 32 he should not have been considered for the European Championship qualifier against Estonia on Wednesday.

If the word is true, that even includes England assistant manager Terry Venables, who apparently has distanced himself from boss Steve McClaren’s decision.

Not a bad each-way bet that, considering if Beckham does well any antipathy will be forgotten in a spirit of celebration while if he stinks the place out the stench at least will not cling to Venables. Terry is a wily old fox.

Well, no such political cunning here.

I say good luck to Beckham and applaud McClaren for taking a decision which, despite what you might hear from the conspiracy theorists, undoubtedly was taken for soccer reasons and which, hopefully, will deliver some much-needed balance and penetration.

For the doubters there is a simple three question litmus test as to whether Beckham deserves a recall on soccering grounds.

1. Is Beckham currently playing some of the best soccer of his career at Real Madrid?

2. Are most soccer matches settled by dead-ball deliveries?

3. Is there anybody with an English passport better equipped to deliver a better service to Michael Owen.

If the answers to those three questions are yes, yes and no - and undoubtedly they are - then Beckham deserves his place.

Just as Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo, two former Real Madrid teammates of Beckham, did when they hauled aging bones to Germany in the last World Cup and performed wonderfully for France and Portugal respectively.

Of course, there are no guarantees.

Beckham returns to a team which performed dreadfully in the most recent 3-0 victory against little Andorra and even worse in the five matches previously in which they scored just once.

England fans have come to expect little and receive even less and it is pointless Owen telling them ‘Don’t boo’ when they might equally respond ‘Don’t play rubbish soccer then.’

But let us be positive.

If Beckham can restore the passion he has always brought to playing for his country as well as get forward into the wide positions from which he has delivered success of late for Madrid then the international grand opening of the new Wembley could yet see a reawakening of England soccer, even against a side housing Kaka and Ronaldinho.

The spin-offs for Beckham would be as obvious as they would be for McClaren.

They love a comeback in America. Think of Sinatra, Elvis, Muhammad Ali, Bobby Ewing.

Okay, better not to remember the last one, but a great performer struggling against the odds to regain his pre-eminence is one of Hollywood’s enduring productions.

Think how even more iconic Beckham’s status would be if he were to turn up for Los Angeles Galaxy in July as a nation’s sporting saviour.

Why, even some of his harshest and most jealous critics might even then have a good word for him.