15 Mar 2010

Beckham's World Cup hopes shattered

4:43 pm on 15 March 2010

David Beckham's international football career with England appears over and his World Cup dream in tatters after tearing his left Achilles' tendon while playing for AC Milan.

The 34-year-old former England captain was hurt in AC Milan's 1-nil Serie A win over Chievo, a victory which helped close the gap on league leaders Inter.

It's understood Beckham will undergo surgery in Finland tomorrow and the club vice-president Adriano Galliani says he'll probably be out for five or six months.

The World Cup gets underway in South Africa on June 11 so Beckham has no chance of making a fourth tournament for England.