English National Team: David Beckham on Track for Greatness

Fabio Capello today announced his second England squad, and the most notable inclusion was David Beckham.

Many had predicted the new national coach would wield the axe on the career of English football's most influential player of the last decade.

Capello's assistant, Franco Baldini was in Dallas at the weekend to assess the fitness of Beckham, and by all accounts the new regime will not select players on reputation alone, but only on their current fitness and form.
The myth that the MLS is a retirement home for aging superstars, no longer capable of competing at the highest level must surely now be laid to rest.

The truth is the U.S.A is a popular and emerging sporting hotbed, and football is the largest and fastest-emerging sport, and they also have the best man they could possibly want spreading that message across the world.

Steve Mclaren's disastrous reign was doomed to failure the moment he omitted Beckham from the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. England lacked the experience and leadership quality's Beckham brings to the team, in their futile attempt to launch a new era. As an England supporter, I have witnessed first hand Beckham's sometimes singlehanded grasp on matches that has dragged his team-mates over seemingly impossible hurdles.

Okay, David may be 33 now and coming towards the end of an illustrious career that has seen him play for the two biggest clubs in world football, winning countless trophy's and collecting numerous honors along the way. But his game has never been about electric pace and silky skills. It has always been about his accuracy and clever reading of the game, which you don't need the body of a young man to possess.

These are qualities that David still has, and should not be dismissed out of hand just to satisfy the ego of a new manager.

More surprising inclusions in the squad are Middlesborough defender David Wheater and Arsenal's Theo Walcott. Also Michael Owen made the squad despite being written off by many journalists and pundits.

International football is not about a grueling schedule of a long season or the stress of a fixture pile-up. It is about seasoned performers doing what they are known for doing best mixed in with something a little different.

Rather than David playing a 38-game Premier League season with cup matches and Champions League games in-between maybe he is feeling the benefit of a less demanding schedule, and actually feeling a lot fresher and fitter than he would have been playing in Europe. 

Beckham is in line to become only the fifth England player of all time to reach the milestone of 100 caps—and I for one cannot think of an England player in my lifetime more deserving of such an honor.

Many scorned at David Beckham's decision to move to the U.S.A. and play for L.A Galaxy but it could well turn out to be to the benefit of the national team and English football as a whole in the long run.