Torn Tendon, Shattered Dream

David Beckham will have to retire without achieving his biggest ambition: the World Cup.

David Beckham will have to retire without achieving his biggest ambition: the World Cup. This week, the 34-year-old England midfielder tore an Achilles tendon in his left foot while playing for AC Milan against Chievo. He was in tears as staff carried him off the San Siro pitch. Sports medicine experts think it is near impossible for Beckham to recover in time for the World Cup.

Beckham’s fondness for glamour belies his commitment and work ethic. He did everything he could to make the World Cup team. Under the guidance of Jean-Pierre Meersseman, AC Milan’s medical director, he brought his body fat percentage down from 13 to seven per cent. He even got a hole in his tooth filled because Meersseman said it had an effect on the ‘upper cervical dynamics’, which in turn affect all our actions.

A punctured Achilles tendon, though, will take longer to heal. Beckham has won league titles with Manchester United and Real Madrid. With Man-U he also won the Champions League. But the hands of the most celebrated player of this generation will never be around the World Cup.

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