An innocuous looking stumble in a regulation home fixture two and a half minutes from time would not normally raise even the slightest eyebrow. However, when the subject is a national hero, and the outcome is the realisation that a sporting legend will not compete at his fourth World Cup, the pinnacle for any footballer even in modern times, most of the world will have stood up and taken notice. 

There may only be a few in the outer reaches of Western Civilisation who will not have seen David Beckham looking distraught and hobbling off the pitch late on the evening of the 14th March 2010 at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, Italy only moments after he went down under his own misplaced footstep. Not quite a 'Remember where you were' moment - but nearly.

Hardly anyone who has seen that footage will know that Beckham’s AC Milan were playing serial giant killers Chievo in their variation of the Premier League, Serie A. Not many will know, either, that Milan rather unjustly and undeservedly won the match 1-0 courtesy of a wonder strike by substitute Clarence Seedorf (who rather ironically drilled the ball into the top corner from the right edge of the penalty area, a position Beckham had occupied for much of the second half.) The win may have propelled the Rossoneri back into the title race (they are now only a point behind leaders and rivals Inter Milan,) but it did little to either disguise the deficiencies exploited so ruthlessly by Manchester United on Wednesday, or give club President Silvio Berlusconi any more reason to keep the increasingly under pressure Leonardo, the club’s manager, in a job.

All this will be overlooked and ignored totally in England however, as our 'National Treasure' is stricken by the same fate that nearly kept him out of the Japan/Korea competition in 2002.

In the same way that everybody knew the name of Aldo Duscher when the Deportivo La Coruna midfielder followed through in a tackle sufficiently enough to cause Beckham’s famous metatarsal to buckle under the pressure, everybody will know the Achilles tendon that Beckham has ruptured thanks to a truly ethereal injury. At least three months on the sidelines follow with the knowledge that the only way he will get to South Africa now is to buy a ticket.

We should of course commiserate Becks in the disappointment that his legacy won’t stretch to a quadruple of tournaments and that he will be rather more forgotten than remembered when England kick off against the U.S.A. at 20.30 local time in their first World Cup fixture in Rustenburg. And we should also of course feel pity for the man bidding to become England’s all time record cap holder, that he may never be able to increase his collection. But most of all, we should all be able to sympathise and empathise with Beckham. For if the miracle does happen and England are the last team standing on 11th of July, Goldenballs will not be grasping the golden trophy.

Before the age old ‘Footballers earn so much money, the game doesn’t matter to them’ debate rears it’s ugly head, lets look at the difficult and painful truths that this injury connotes. If you were to ask the man himself whether he would trade the sponsorship deals, the modelling, the publicity stunts and even the glittering football career that he has been fortunate enough to enjoy for all of his professional life to be able to raise the Jules Rimet trophy high above his head for the very first time he would almost certainly do it. Even the money wouldn’t come close in terms of success. When pressed on it, you can guarantee the only things he wouldn’t trade in would understandably be his wife and children. He may have used his fame to meet his future wife thus forever keeping himself in the public eye, but who wouldn’t marry a Spice Girl if they could?

For all his wealth, looks and marketing prowess, David Beckham’s first love has always been and always will be football. Lets face it, if he wanted to retire he could have quite easily done it before he crossed the Atlantic to play for LA Galaxy in the inferior Major League of North America. Money has never been a problem.

Every youngster’s dream when first kicking a ball in a park, a playground or a pit is to one day lift the World Cup. For younger players such as Theo Walcott, Wayne Rooney, James Milner or Joe Hart, chances to win major tournaments will come and go with the knowledge in the back of the mind that there will always be another one. Not for Becks. This was his last chance.

You can take the pain of the injury, and the torment of a while on the sidelines. Ultimately, David Beckham will never lift the World Cup as a player. And that really hurts.