[b]Beckham stands down as England skipper[/b]
[limg]http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/gen/fifa/20060702/t/530889878.jpg[/limg]David Beckham has announced that he is standing down as England captain in the wake of their defeat in the FIFA World Cup quarter-final against Portugal in Gelsenkirchen.
Beckham made the announcement in an emotional statement during a press conference this morning. He said that after almost six years in the job, earning 58 of his 95 caps as skipper, he believes the “time is right to pass on the armband” as England enter a new era under Steve McClaren, the successor to Sven-Goran Eriksson who’s last game in charge coincided with England’s departure from the Germany tournament.
Reading from a statement he said he had written last night, Beckham, 31, said: “I have lived the dream and have been extremely privileged to have worn the armband and been captain of England and for that I’ll always be grateful.”
“This is the most difficult decision of my career to date,” he added. “I have discussed it with my family and those close to me and the time is right.
“Our performances in this World Cup have not been enough to progress further and all the players regret that and are hurt by that more than people realise. I wish to thank all the players for their support during my time as captain, Peter Taylor, Sven and all the coaches.
“I’d also like to thank the press and of course the England supporters who have been great to me and my team-mates and for me it’s been an absolute honour.”
[by FIFAworldcup.com]