He may be missing out on this World Cup but Beckham could yet win another one for England

By Martin Lipton in

Published 11:39 15/03/10

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The agony on David Beckham’s face as his achilles tendon snapped told its own story.

Beckham knew at that instant, even before the stretcher arrived to cart him off the San Siro surface, that his 2010 World Cup dream has disappeared.

Beckham's career on the brink as he prepares for achilles transplant surgery today  

But if the Fates have decided that Beckham will not have the opportunity to win in South Africa with England, they may still yet allow him to finish the year as a hero of his country.

For while Beckham knows now that he will not be part of Fabio Capello’s Finals 23, he can still go to South Africa to wear the Three Lions with pride - as the spearhead of the nation’s bid to land the 2018 tournament.

Nobody who saw the Beckham effect at first hand in Cape Town in December will need reminding of the power to turn heads he still possesses.

When Beckham entered the giant tent housing all the bidding teams on the morning of the Finals draw, it was as if a giant flame was luring every moth in the country.

Suddenly, Luis Figo was forgotten in the rush to acclaim old Goldenballs, almost trampled underfoot as the world’s media descended on the England stall, desperate to get a bit of him.

And it is not just the media who are obsessed with Beckham.

Of all the players on the planet he has a cachet, one that is greater than that of far more gifted players like Messi, Ronaldo or Rooney.

He has that certain something, an aura that goes beyond his achievements on the pitch.

The 24 members of FIFA executive committee are used to being treated like royalty, of rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.

Yet given the chance to meet and greet Beckham, they act like giggly schoolgirls seeing their pop star idols in the flesh.

And now, with injury cruelly robbing him of a last chance to play on the biggest stage of all, Beckham can be the key to success for the bid to land the tournament in 2018.

FA chairman Lord Triesman and bid leader Andy Anson will share the nation’s disappointment of the heartbreak that has surely ended Beckham’s England career, given that Fabio Capello doesn’t do sentiment.

But at the same time, they have been handed a fantastic assist in their bid to convince FIFA that the next European tournament should be held on English soil.

Long before FIFA gather in Zurich in December to cast their votes, Beckham will have done the rounds of the men who matter and South Africa represents the perfect opportunity for him to now spend time on national service.

FIFA will meet for its annual Congress in Johannesburg before the World Cup kicks off but over the next month the executive committee members will be there for the games, looking to be entertained.

Offer them a meeting with Beckham, the chance of a signed shirt or two for their families, a picture and a few autographs, and they will go weak at the knees.

That Beckham is a vote winner should be taken as read.

It was his arrival in Singapore in 2005, alongside that of Tony Blair, that proved pivotal as London came from behind to beat Paris and Madrid in the final few hours and snatch the 2012 Olympic Games.

Beckham was the perfect ambassador, the ideal icon, the man who symbolised British sport and his status has only been enhanced over the previous five years.

Now, despite his personal anguish, he can prove once again that he is a phenomenon, not just a sportsman.

Of course, missing out on the chance of lifting the World Cup this summer will be a devastating blow for Beckham, after he had worked so hard to make himself a part of Capello’s squad.

But if the end result sees him helping to win that prize for the whole nation to enjoy in 2018, then arguably he will have given his finest ever England performance and one that will enshrine his name for ever.

Remember John F Kennedy’s inauguration address: “Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.”

Beckham, for all his achievements, those 115 caps, 17 goals, 59 games as captain, can perhaps do more over the next six months when he is not playing than he ever did on the pitch.

If he wins England the 2018 World Cup, he truly will be a national hero. The Knighthood is guaranteed! Arise, Sir David......

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