During a match against ChievoVerona today, Beckham received a pass, took a step back to set himself, and immediately knew something was wrong. In obvious trouble, Beckham hobbled briefly before signalling for a training and fell to his knees. One off step and David Beckham is out of the 2010 World Cup.
The verdict is an Achilles tendon injury. Depending on the report, the severity goes between torn and ruptured. The difference in the verbiage is significant. Best case scenario, Beckham is out for three months, meaning he would have no time to get fit for the 2010 World Cup. Worst case scenario, his playing career is over.
At 34, Beckham is on his last legs as it is. South Africa was his last hope for a World Cup. Now Beckham has to decide whether or not continuing his playing career is worth it. He still has two seasons (including the upcoming one) left on his MLS contract. Throughout the AC Milan experiment, Beckham has said he will return to the Galaxy after the World Cup. With that no longer a reality, will he hang up the boots or will he push his body to its limit and finish what he started?
I firmly believe Beckham will return to the Galaxy this season. Whether or not he completes his contract is a different discussion entirely. His failed first season was decimated because of a lingering injury. Given how much Beckham cares about his image, it is unlikely he wants to soil his reputation by ending his Galaxy days the same way they started. Like Michael Jordan and John Elway, it is likely Beckham wants to go out on top. More importantly, he probably wants to go out on his own terms. There’s no way a freak injury ends David Beckham’s career. His ego is too big for that.
