Beckham as England's Captain

[nashtymavsfan13]

Beckham quits as captain after England's World Cup exit

By KRYSTYNA RUDZKI, AP Sports Writer
July 2, 2006

BUEHLERTAL, Germany (AP) -- David Beckham quit as England captain Sunday, the morning after his team went out in the World Cup quarterfinals on penalties to Portugal.

A tearful Beckham, wearing a suit and tie, read a statement to a crowded news conference at England's training camp.

"I have lived the dream," he said. "I am extremely proud to have worn the armband and been captain of England and for that, I will always be grateful."

He stressed that he wanted to continue playing for the national team.

First capped at 21 against Moldova in September 1996, Beckham was named captain for the first time by caretaker coach Peter Taylor for a friendly in Italy. He took over the captaincy permanently from Alan Shearer, who retired after the 2000 European Championship.

On Sunday, Beckham said he felt "the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter in a new era" under new coach Steve McClaren, who is taking over as England coach from Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Beckham, 31, has been captain for 58 of his 94 England caps. He said he had decided "some time ago" to quit as captain after this World Cup, his third.

Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard or Chelsea defender John Terry are most likely to take over as captain. Both are captains for their Premier League clubs.

Beckham has been England's most famous soccer player for nearly a decade -- first for his romance with pop star Victoria Adams of the Spice Girls, then for helping Manchester United win the Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League in 1999.

His celebrity grew to encompass his professional and personal life. "Posh and Becks" became Britain's biggest celebrity couple, even when he moved to Spain's Real Madrid in 2003.

His trademark curling free kicks even inspired the name of the popular 2003 movie "Bend It Like Beckham."

On Saturday, he left the field with a leg injury in the 52nd minute. England played for almost an hour with 10 men after Wayne Rooney was given a red card, but held the Portuguese to 0-0 after 120 minutes.

Beckham could not participate in the penalty shootout, which Portugal won 3-1.

"This decision has been the most difficult of my career to date," he said. "It has been an honor and a privilege to have captained our country and I want to stress that I wish to continue to play for England and look forward to helping both the new captain and Steve McClaren in any way I can."

He said he wrote his statement late Saturday night; after reading it he walked out immediately, to loud applause.

The original decision to name Beckham captain raised eyebrows, but Taylor said his decision had been vindicated.

"I feel he has been a terrific captain and he's played very well for us," Taylor said. "He must have thought about it long and hard. There have been a couple of dips in form but overall he's been outstanding and should be proud of the last six years."

Beckham's first World Cup in 1998 was marred by his red card against Argentina in the second round. That game went to penalties and England lost.

In 2002, Beckham broke a bone in his foot in the leadup to the World Cup. He played every match but wasn't 100 percent and England lost to Brazil in the quarterfinals.

Beckham said the squad was devastated by another quarterfinal exit, this time in Germany.

"Both myself and all the players regret that and are hurt by that more than people realize," he said.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Dang, typo in the title of the thread, is there any way to change that?

[bernardos70]

I've never seen anything interesting in Beckham, he is very one dimensional. Joe Cole's far the better player of the two, probably the best player in the English national squad.

[twelli]

Beckham was great while playing for Manchester. In Madrid he's made some nice free kicks, but that's about all I can remember...

[nashtymavsfan13]

Originally Posted by twelli

Beckham was great while playing for Manchester. In Madrid he's made some nice free kicks, but that's about all I can remember...

Yeah, this seems the right time to step down.

[SaltwaterChaffy]

So, who gets the captaincy? It's gotta be Cole or Terry, right?

[nashtymavsfan13]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterChaffy

So, who gets the captaincy? It's gotta be Cole or Terry, right?

Yeah, one of them.

[nashtymavsfan13]

End it like Beckham: international career could be over

By ROBERT MILLWARD, AP Soccer Writer
August 11, 2006

LONDON (AP) -- England may never again rely on David Beckham's bending free kicks.

Coach Steve McClaren on Friday left him off the squad that will face European champion Greece on Wednesday in an exhibition game.
The coach has not completely shut the door on one of soccer's most glamorous and popular players, but McClaren is trying to build a national team without the 31-year-old Real Madrid midfielder.

"I spoke to David last Monday and notified him of my decision and said that I was planning for the future, looking to change things, and David wasn't included," McClaren said.

"At the present moment I am looking to take this team in a different direction. It's a new beginning. It's a clean sheet of paper for everybody and that's why I decided not to pick David Beckham."

The game against Greece is at Old Trafford, where Beckham scored some of his greatest goals for Manchester United and England. It was against Greece at Old Trafford that Beckham curled in a last-minute goal in 2001, putting England in the 2002 World Cup.

"Having spoken to Steve McClaren this week I can fully understand that a new manager should want to make his mark on the team and build towards the next World Cup," Beckham said in a statement. "I'm proud to have played for England for 10 years and my passion for representing my country remains as strong as ever."

England now must do without Beckham's free kicks and penalty kicks as well as his long passes of uncanny accuracy. It was Beckham's free kick in a 1-0 victory over Ecuador that got England through to the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Germany.

"I have great respect for him, fantastic captain for England, a great player and still is a great player and he took the news very well," McClaren said. "Although he was disappointed. I got the reaction I wanted and the reaction was that he would continue to fight for his place and I will never close to the door."

Beckham limped out of England's quarterfinal against Portugal with ankle and Achilles' tendon injuries and sat tearfully on the side as his team was eliminated in a penalty-kick shootout after a 0-0 tie.

The next day he stepped down as England captain after 58 games, but said he wanted to keep playing for national team.

Beckham's critics insist he should have gone long ago. His show-biz lifestyle, his high-profile marriage to former Spice Girl Victoria Adams and the wealth he gained through nonsoccer endorsements also prompted suggestions he was no longer interested in the game.

His ability with his accurate right foot made him a name on the soccer field and even became a movie title, "Bend It Like Beckham." But his critics said it was his only skill.

A right wing, Beckham doesn't dribble past opponents. He rarely gets into close-range shooting positions and the only goals he scores from open play are long shots. Although he has the stamina to run for 90 minutes, he no longer has much pace. He is also a poor tackler who regularly gets into trouble with referees for petulant behavior.

It was his retaliatory kick at Diego Simeone that led to a red card against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup. England had to play for another 73 minutes with 10 players, eventually losing in a shootout.

While playing for Manchester United, Beckham was blamed for England's elimination and jeered by rival fans. But he bounced back and became a favorite again, appointed captain of the national team. He inspired England to a 5-1 victory over Germany in a World Cup qualifier in Munich and guaranteed a spot at the 2002 World Cup with his last-minute free kick against Greece.

But England didn't make it past the quarterfinals in South Korea and Japan, and Beckham was partly to blame again.

Having just recovered from a broken left foot, Beckham jumped out of a tackle against Brazil, and the move led to a tying goal. Brazil won 2-1 and went on to capture its fifth title while England went home.

His goals helped England reach the 2004 European Championship. But Beckham, by then a Real Madrid player, shot high and wide from the penalty spot in another shootout loss to host Portugal.

Under Eriksson, Beckham stayed as captain and helped the team reach the 2006 World Cup. But he angered FIFA president Sepp Blatter when he deliberately fouled an opponent to get himself suspended from a World Cup qualifying game against Azerbaijan. He knew at the time he would miss the game because of injury.

Beckham made 94 appearances for England -- he was captain for 58 -- and has long said he'd like to reach 100. Only now, it's a "new beginning."

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Beckham left out of England squad

By Jon Bramley and Martyn Herman

LONDON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - David Beckham was left out of new England coach Steve McClaren's first squad on Friday, raising speculation that his international career is over.

Beckham, who quit as captain after England's quarter-final exit from the World Cup in July, did not feature in McClaren's list of 25 for next Wednesday's home friendly against Greece.

But the 31-year-old Real Madrid player swiftly signalled in a statement to Reuters that his passion to play for England remained "as strong as ever".

Former Arsenal defender Sol Campbell and goalkeeper David James were also omitted from the squad while McClaren announced that ex-England coach Terry Venables would be his assistant.

West Ham United striker Dean Ashton and Tottenham Hotspur defender Michael Dawson were handed the chance to win their first caps and there were recalls for forwards Jermain Defoe and Darren Bent, both surprisingly left out of the World Cup squad by former coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

"I spoke with David last Monday and notified him of my decision," McClaren told a news conference.

"I told him I was planning for the future, looking to change things and go in a different direction, and David wasn't included within that.

"I have great respect for David, he has been a fantastic captain for England, a great player and still is a great player.

DOOR OPEN

"He took it well although he was disappointed, but I got the reaction that I wanted which is that he will continue to fight for his place and I will never close the door."

McClaren said he liked speedy wingers on either flank and Beckham did not fit into that category. "I wanted to establish a team for 2008 (European Championship). I like width, I like pace and I like penetration," he said.

"We'll do it my way with the players I've picked and I'll live and die by it. I am the head coach and it's my decision at the end of the day."

Beckham limped off with an Achilles tendon injury during England's defeat by Portugal on July 1 and the following day announced that he was standing down as captain after six years.

In his statement after he was dropped on Friday, Beckham said: "Having spoken to Steve McClaren this week I can fully understand that a new manager should want to make his mark on the team and build towards the next World Cup.

"I'm proud to have played for England for 10 years and my passion for representing my country remains as strong as ever."

McClaren's association with Beckham goes back to the days when he was assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, but he did not let sentiment get in the way of his thinking as he made his first big decision as England coach.

It now opens the question of whether Beckham, who has 94 caps, 58 as captain, will reach a century of appearances, a feat managed by only four other England players.

Beckham, who made his England debut in 1996, became the first England player to score in three World Cups when he netted the winner against Ecuador in June.

YOUNGER PLAYERS

Despite standing down as captain, Beckham had insisted that he still wanted to be part of McClaren's plans, although many have questioned his value to the team with the emergence of younger players in his position.

Tottenham Hotspur's Aaron Lennon, who is in the squad, is widely tipped to replace Beckham on the right side of midfield as is Chelsea's Shaun Wright-Phillips, back in favour after not being picked for the World Cup by Eriksson.

The leader of England's so-called golden generation, Beckham's hopes of emulating the late Bobby Moore by captaining his country to a first major trophy since 1966 have always ended in frustration and despair.

Beckham's highlights in an England shirt include his fantastic last-minute free kick against Greece in 2001 which rescued a 2-2 draw and a place in the 2002 World Cup finals and his penalty winner against Argentina in Japan.

There have been some lows, however, most notably his red card against Argentina at France 98 for a kick at Diego Simeone -- an act that led to vilification at home.

On Thursday, Chelsea defender John Terry was named as Beckham's successor as captain by McClaren.

"He has great hunger and desire to succeed and plays with great passion," McClaren said of the man he has entrusted to lead the team to the Euro 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland.