by Renee Israel
If David Beckham plays for England in the World Cup tournament in Cape
Town, this will be the 34 year old's fourth competition, and probably his last.
However, it may be that Beckham has missed his chance to play for England as
he tore his Achilles tendon in a match against Chievo this weekend.
England's odds are currently tied with Brazil at 6.00 at Ladbrokes.com,
behind only Spain at 5.00.
The question remains whether Beckham's removal from the team will affect
England's chances of reaching among the top slots in the tournament or not.
After his injury, Beckham checked into hospital on Monday and said that he
hoped that a "swift and full recovery" may still allow him to play for England.
In a statement posted on Beckham's website, he said: "I am upset but want to
thank everyone for their messages of support."
Specialist surgeon, Dr. Sakari Orava told the Finnish news services that he
is set to operate on Beckham today or tomorrow and that there is still hope that
he will play in the World Cup.
"If it's a partial, small grad tear it may be good in a few weeks but if it's
a total tear, it can be a question of several months," he said.
England coach, Fabio Capello said after the incident: "We have to wait for
the results of the scan, but it looks like he is out of the World Cup. David is
a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so
missing it will be a big blow."
World Cup 2010 Tournament winners posted at Ladbrokes are as follows:
Spain - 5.00
Brazil - 6.00
England - 6.00
Argentina - 10.00
Germany - 10.00
Italy - 11.00
Holland - 12.00
France - 17.00
