Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Beckham's 4th World Cup chance gone with injury

Updated at 6:07 am on 16 March 2010

One of the world's best known footballers, English mid-field player David Beckham, has been injured while playing for his club AC Milan on Sunday.

The injury puts his chances of appearing in the World Cup finals in South Africa in June in serious doubt. It would have been his fourth World Cup.

A statement from AC Milan says a rupture of the Achilles tendon is suspected.

The BBC reports Beckham was unchallenged when he suffered the injury and hobbled off in pain before being stretchered away.

The 34-year-old was hoping to be part of England's World Cup squad in June, but instead will fly to Finland on Monday for specialist surgery.

AC Milan's defeated Chievo 1-0.

Beckham is in his second loan stint with Milan from the Los Angeles Galaxy.

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani told the BBC that Beckham would be out for "probably five or six months".

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