Strachan was written off but led the Whites from the old Second Division to the First Division Championship within the space of three years, winning the Footballer Of The Year along the way.
Beckham has fallen out with Real Madrid boss Fabio Capello and is being written off by all and sundry too.
Strachan said: "You can definitely compare what he's doing to what I did. We were both treading water at our clubs and were not getting anywhere.
"We both had coaches who had certain ideas about how the game should be played and we didn't fit into their plans.
"Like me, he wants to stop stagnating as a footballer. He wants to do something about his life. Everyone is talking about the money. But this move is also about him wanting satisfaction on the pitch.
"If you get paid that kind of money you have a lot of pressure because suddenly the future of American football is on your shoulders.
"I'm a huge Beckham fan. He still wants to be a successful as he can as a player."