Beckham England Recall Hope Dashed
Latest injury setback could spell end of ex-England skipper's career
Ex-England captain David Beckham injures his knee in a Real Madrid league game making him unavailable for England's European Championship qualifier in Israel.
Former England captain David Beckham limped out of Real Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Getafe last Sunday leaving his hopes of an unlikely international recall in tatters.
The England team’s recent slump, which has prompted much criticism in the English media, had led many commentators and supporters to call for Beckham’s return for the crucial European Championship qualifier in Israel next month.
England’s all-time top goalscorer Gary Lineker said in his Sunday Telegraph newspaper column: "I think McClaren would be wise to bring back Beckham as a short-term measure." While England forward Michael Owen told BBC Five Live Sport: "Beckham is, and has been for many years, a world class player."
But now Beckham has been ruled out for up to four weeks with a knee injury and will be unavailable for selection. The concern for Beckham, capped 94 times for his country, must be that, once he has recovered from this latest setback, the brief window of opportunity for a recall will have been slammed shut permanently.
England under Steve McClaren have been struggling for goals and momentum in recent matches, culminating in a dismal 1-0 defeat in a friendly against Spain in February. The under-fire coach, an unpopular choice amongst many England fans when he was appointed as successor to Sven-Goran Eriksson, has admitted that Beckham’s recent good form for Real Madrid was posing him a selection “problem”, but denied reports that he had consulted senior players to gauge their reaction concerning his recall.
Reinstating Beckham to the national squad would be seen as a major climb-down for McClaren, who so ostentatiously ditched him after the debacle of the 2006 World Cup hosted by Germany. McClaren, who had been number two to Eriksson, was thought to have ended Beckham’s international career so abruptly in a bid to distance himself from his predecessor, who was largely blamed for England’s poor showing in Germany and who had shared a famously close relationship with Beckham.
And so despite his side’s recent slump in form and their perilous position in the race for qualification for the 2008 European Championships, McClaren may have felt a sense of relief that the question of Beckham’s recall has been taken out of his hands. That England fans share his relief is highly unlikely.
After being injured during the Spanish league game, 31-year old Beckham is “suffering from a second-degree sprain of the internal lateral ligament of his right knee,” according to a Real Madrid statement.
Not only will he miss the Israel v England game, but Beckham will also be ruled out of Real Madrid's crucial match against Barcelona next weekend - and possibly a further three league games.
Beckham has made headlines recently having signed a five-year contract reportedly worth $246 million (£128 million) to join US Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy when his contract with Real Madrid expires, on 30 June 2007. It seems unlikely that Beckham will be able to force himself back into the national side once he begins his new career in LA, given the lack of coverage the US Major League receives in England and given the comparatively low standard of soccer. Having been denied by this injury the chance to grasp the opportunity afforded him by current circumstances, it could be that David Beckham’s long and impressive career for his country is now over.
