Come On, England! Why David Beckham Was Needed in 2010 FIFA World Cup

When David Beckham was ruled out of the 2010 World Cup back in March, there were many who felt the loss was no big deal.

England had younger, faster, and better options on the wing in Aaron Lenon, Shaun Wright-Phillips, James Milner, and especially Steve Gerrard, who had been playing primarily on the outside under Capello.

But now that the World Cup is almost over, imagine for a moment that Beckham had made the trip to South Africa (as a player, I mean, seeing as how he did travel there as a part of the coaching staff).

England failed to win their group despite being the favorites, but they did make it to the Round of 16 where the Germans exposed their every flaw in a 4-1 thumping.

I can’t help but think that Three Lions would have gone a lot farther in the tournament if Capello could have called upon David Beckham.

Free Kicks

Might as well start with the obvious.

Everybody knows how dangerous Beckham is when it comes to set pieces. There’s even a movie named for his trademark free kicks.

At 35, Beckham is certainly not as quick as he was during his prime but age is irrelevant when it comes to dead ball situations.

England scored just three goals in four games, hardly what you’d expect from one of the seeded teams.

It stands to reason that a Beckham free kick could have added at least one more to that tally.

Fan Support

England fans booed their team following a boring goalless draw with Algeria that prompted a sarcastic response from the often salty Wayne Rooney.

Algeria may have been the underdogs in Group C, but they ultimately proved to be a decent team more than capable of passing and maintaining possession.

Negative reactions from the fans did no favors for an English side already frustrated by the Desert Foxes’ stingy defense.

But it’s hard to imagine anything other than a stadium full of cheers—from more than just England fans—if Beckham had come on to the pitch as a substitute, something that may have given Capello’s squad the boost in morale they so desperately needed.

Inspiration

David Beckham is the world’s most beloved athlete because he’s humble, charismatic, and most of all, inspiring.

Time and time again throughout his career, he’s overcome the kinds of obstacles that might have defeated lesser men.

Like everyone, Beckham’s had his share of outbursts, but for the most part he’s always been a class act, maintaining professionalism with a smile on his face through it all—especially in his final season at Real Madrid under current England gaffer, Fabio Capello.

Well beyond the age in which most players retire from international football, Beckham was determined to make Capello’s 2010 World Cup roster, even if it meant staying fit by hopping back and forth between two different leagues on two different continents for two straight years without an offseason.

That’s why I was so sad to hear he had been ruled out of the tournament in South Africa.

The man had worked too hard to miss out on his last shot at World Cup glory due to bad luck, but even that didn’t stop Beckham.

He was still on the plane to South Africa with the rest of the Three Lions squad—as a coach rather than a player.

Pride

Three top teams had disappointing runs at the 2010 World Cup: Italy, France, and England.

The first two didn’t even make it past the group stage, and the latter might as well not have considering they didn’t show up for their match in the Round of 16.

These three counties also boast some of the highest paid primadonnas on the planet—guys whose weekly wages are larger than most MLS players’ annual salary—and if their club managers had anything to say about it, valuable players like Rooney would never even participate in international football.

England has a lot of quality players. Just imagine how much better they would have fared in South Africa if they had demonstrated the same grit and determination as USA’s technically inferior squad.

Few men have ever donned an England jersey with as much pride as David Beckham, and pride was exactly what Three Lions was lacking.

One More Goal

Any one of these factors could easily have translated to another goal (or two) for England, and one more goal in any one of their group matches would have been the difference between Capello’s squad finishing first in Group C rather than the runner-up.

This means England would have faced Ghana in the Round of 16 instead of goal-happy Germany, followed by Uruguay in the quarterfinals.

In theory, one more goal in the group stage could easily have put England all the way through to the semifinals, and David Beckham could have helped them score that goal with a pinpoint cross or trademark free kick.

At the very least, he might have inspired a teammate to find the back of the net.