Injury ends Beckham’s World Cup dream

David Beckham's dream of playing for England in one last World Cup was shattered yesterday when he limped off the field in the closing stages of an AC Milan match with a torn Achilles tendon. Doctors say it will keep him out of football for a good six months.

It wasn't certain whether England manager Fabio Capello would name the 34-year-old in the England squad for South Africa this summer. But Beckham had done everything possible to persuade Capello that he deserved to add to the 115 England caps he has already won.

And even those who believe Beckham was past it will sympathise with the player who, despite his celebrity lifestyle, clearly lives to play the game.

AC Milan coach Leonardo said: "Beckham's injury makes us feel terrible. David understood immediately that he had torn his Achilles tendon.

"He felt the muscle begin to come up, which is a typical symptom when you break an Achilles' tendon. This is a real blow. He is an extraordinary guy and today's game proves it yet again."

The injury could jeopardise more than Beckham's World Cup hopes - it could mean the end of his playing career. The operation he now requires is not an easy one for a 20-year-old to recover from, let alone a near-35-year-old.

If Capello was planning to choose Beckham for the 23-man squad going to South Africa - something we will possibly never know - it would have been his fourth World Cup.

As well as being one last hurrah on the international stage, it would have been a final chance for the player to make amends for one of the biggest blots on his sometimes illustrious career.

In his first World Cup, in 1998, he famously kicked out at Diego Simeone in the last-16 match against Argentina and got himself sent off. England were down to 10 men and Beckham was widely blamed for costing England the game and the chance of World Cup glory. ·