ITALY/UNITED KINGDOM: SOCCER/FOOTBALL - David Beckham flies for surgery after injury dashes his World Cup hopes

Record ID: 809478

  • Title: ITALY/UNITED KINGDOM: SOCCER/FOOTBALL - David Beckham flies for surgery after injury dashes his World Cup hopes
  • Date: 16th March 2010
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MARCH 15, 2010) (REUTERS) NEWSPAPER HEADLINES - "BECKHAM WORLD CUP KO"/"WORLD'S END"/"TEARFUL BECKHAM SEES WORLD CUP DREAM DASHED"/"BECKHAM OUT OF WORLD CUP"/"END OF THE WORLD FOR BECKHAM"
  • Embargoed: 31st March 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA7ADK4T54GVQLUAF4XYP2RQKS3
  • Story Text: England's David Beckham is set to miss this year's World Cup after his surgeon on Monday (March 15) gave a bleak outlook on the midfielder's chances of recovering from a torn Achilles tendon in time to line up in South Africa.
    The 34-year-old suffered the injury in AC Milan's 1-0 win over Chievo on Sunday and is scheduled to arrive in Finland at around 1200 GMT on Monday for surgery.
    On Sunday (March 14) after his injury, Beckham, walking with crutches, climbed with difficulty into a car which took him to a hotel in Milan.
    During the match he was ready to kick a ball unchallenged late in Sunday's Serie A match when he suddenly pulled up and shouted to the Milan bench "It's broken". He left the pitch hopping on one leg and lay in pain on the grass by the touchline before being carried away on a stretcher for treatment.
    On Monday (March 15) Beckham, wearing a woollen hat and walking with crutches, climbed into a car to be driven to the airport.
    Dr. Sakari Orava told Reuters on Monday that walking could only take place after two months, and that it would take about three months to start kicking or playing football. Before the injury could withstand the strains of heavy play would take a month longer.
    He added that Beckham had a total tear of the Achilles tendon and an operation to take a graft from the calf to put over the injury site was planned. The procedure took about an hour he said.
    The World Cup begins in less than three months on June 11.
    Beckham, England's most capped outfield player with 115 appearances, had been bidding to play in a fourth World Cup.
    Beckham, on loan at Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy for a second time, will miss the Serie A run-in with his side a point behind leaders Inter Milan with 10 games left.
    Milan doctors said the former England captain would almost certainly miss the World Cup while chief executive Adriano Galliani reckoned he could be out for around five or six months.
    Beckham is due to return to Galaxy in July but Galliani said the Italian club would love to have him back again next season.
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