David Beckham suffered an injury to his Achilles tendon last night playing for AC Milan against Chievo last night. He was trying to become the first English person to play in four World Cups but those hopes have been dashed with the injury. Beckham, 34, was looking to earn his spot on England’s squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, which will be named on June 1st.
It puts Beckham’s career in jeopardy as well since an injury of this magnitude will no doubt put him out for at least eight months, possibly a year. It is hard to see him playing again in any major league of note. He will still be offered contracts, but Beckham will have to decide what to do with his future and if the opportunity is worth pursuing. Beckham’s age has shown in the last few months and the injury makes for an easy decision by England manager Fabio Capello in what would have been a tough decision on his selection to the team.
Beckham has 115 career goals for England and has been a regular for the side since 1996. Perhaps the most memorable was his famous last-minute goal to tie it up against Greece in 2001. It sent England to the World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea. He was a star with Manchester United and Real Madrid, but his decision to go to the United States to play for the LA Galaxy showed that he was nearing an end for his competitive playing days. In the span of a week, Beckham had one of his best nights of football last week when he returned to Old Trafford to a possible career-ending injury.