VARIOUS: SOCCER / FOOTBALL - Former captain David Beckham is left out of England's international squad

David Beckham was left out of new England coach Steve McClaren's first England squad on Friday (August 11), raising speculation that his international career is over. Beckham, who quit as captain after England's quarter-final exit from the World Cup in July, did not feature in McClaren's list of 25 for next Wednesday's home friendly against Greece. But the 31-year-old Real Madrid player swiftly signalled in a statement through his agent that his desire to play for England remained "as strong as ever". Former Arsenal defender Sol Campbell and goalkeeper David James were also omitted from the squad while McClaren announced that ex-England coach Terry Venables would be his assistant. West Ham United striker Dean Ashton and Tottenham Hotspur defender Michael Dawson were handed the chance to win their first caps and there were recalls for forwards Jermain Defoe and Marcus Bent, both surprisingly left out of the World Cup squad by former coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. Beckham limped off with an Achilles tendon injury during England's defeat by Portugal on July 1 and the following day announced that he was standing down as captain after six years. In a statement issued to Reuters through his agent after he was dropped on Friday, Beckham said: "I'm proud to have played for England for 10 years and my passion for representing my country remains as strong as ever." It now opens the question of whether Beckham, who has 94 caps, 58 as captain, will reach a century of appearances, a feat managed by only four other England players. Beckham, who made his England debut in 1996, became the first England player to score in three World Cups when he netted the winner against Ecuador in June. Beckham's glory days were with Manchester United in the 1990s, moving to Real Madrid in 2003. His high profile marriage to Victoria, "Posh Spice" of the pop group The Spice Girls, promoted him as a media and style figure. But in the run up to the 2006 World Cup Finals critics were saying that Beckham owed not only his captaincy but also his place in the England team to his strong bond with England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson rather than his form on the pitch. The leader of England's so-called golden generation, Beckham's hopes of emulating the late Bobby Moore by captaining his country to a first major trophy since 1966 have always ended in frustration and despair. Despite standing down as captain, Beckham had insisted that he still wanted to be part of McClaren's plans, although many have questioned his value to the team with the emergence of younger players in his position. Beckham's highlights in an England shirt include his fantastic last-minute free kick against Greece in 2001 which rescued a 2-2 draw and a place in the 2002 World Cup finals and his penalty winner against Argentina in Japan. There have been some lows, however, most notably his red card against Argentina at France 98 for a kick at Diego Simeone -- an act that led to vilification at home.

ITN Source | August 12, 2006

Tags:. .became. .draw. .terry. .statement. .passion