David Beckham: Ups and Downs

David Beckham's footballing career is in serious threat tonight as the former England captain has sustained a major injury while playing for A.C. Milan. As the midfielder clutched his lower leg, the immediate concern surrounded his involvement in this summer's World Cup in South Africa. During the latter stages of a league match against Chievo Verona, Beckham collapsed in a heap onto the San Siro turf and signalled in distress towards the dug-out. As the medical staff rushed onto the field Beckham already knew the serious nature of his injury. He had ruptured his achilles tendon, a problem which takes at least six months to recover from, meaning he is certainly no longer an option for England coach Fabio Capello, nor will he feature anytime soon for L.A. Galaxy.

This latest set-back is rather typical of the 34 year old's career which has been littered with a catalogue of highs and lows. He burst onto the seen initially in 1995 when he scored his famous goal from the half way line against Winbledon at Selhurst Park in London. From there he maintained wonderful form for Manchester United and was rewarded with a place in the England World Cup squad for France 98. During that tournament he scored a trademark free-kick against Colombia and won a starting role for the next match. Against Argentina in the quarter final, Beckham kicked out at Diego Simeone, an action that earned him a red card from a very strict referee. Argentina subsequently knocked England out of the World Cup and Beckham was vilified for his stupidity. He was booed religiously at every away match the next season and was never fully forgiven by England fans until 2001. In 1999 the highlight of Beckham's career came in the Nou Camp where Manchester United won the Champions League final and were kings of Europe for the first time in 31 years.

In 2001 the England national team were struggling to reach the World Cup in Japan and South Korea when suddenly David Beckham, public enemy number one, stepped up to a free-kick in the last minute of a match against Greece and struck the ball into the net, sending England to the biggest tournament on the planet. However, during the spring of 2002 Beckham sustained a bad injury that created pandemonium in the media. The world's most recognised footballer broke a small bone in his foot and his participation in the World Cup was very doubtful. The recovery and healing process he underwent was scrutinized very closely by journalists everywhere, each hoping to be the bearer of breaking news. Beckham went to the tournament but was not fully fit. He only played a bit part in the group stages but fully recovered for the knockout rounds. He captained the side valiantly but once again it ended in disappointment when England were dumped out in the quarter finals by Brazil.

Beckham returned to focus on his club career which took a new direction in 2003 after a falling out with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. He was sold to Real Madrid for 25 million pounds. It took four years before Beckham enjoyed some success in Madrid when they won the 2007 league under Capello. The summer of 2006 was another failure on the international front when the World Cup again proved allusive to England. This time they were knocked out by Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo again in the quarter finals, after which David Beckham resigned as captain.

In the autumn of 2007 Beckham moved his career to America where he would earn a massive salary playing in Los Angeles. His international aspirations were still as strong as ever and until recently Beckham has remained a part of the England squad. He has moved to Milan during the American off-season to enable him to stay in contention for an England role. However all that hard work has failed to pay off in the cruellest possible fashion, as tonight he was helped from the field with his dream of playing in South Africa in ruins. It seems logical to assume that Beckham will never again play for his country, although it is likely he will return to club football in America.