Beckham: I Can Make World Cup

Last updated : 18 April 2002 By Rob Cooper
David Beckham
David Beckham
Beckham told MUTV:

"The World Cup is realistic, providing nothing drastic goes wrong. Eight weeks is the sort of timescale they've given me. We're waiting to see if the bone heals and knits together. I should be up and running and kicking a ball in six weeks."

It's been pretty difficult really foot-ball-wise because I'm always up and about. But it's the first serious injury I've had, so I've been lucky. I've not been surprised by the coverage - if I have a new haircut it's front page news."

"It had been a bit sore before the game but there was just fluid on the foot. It was a bad tackle, I knew that at the time."

"I felt the pain but because we had a free-kick I jumped up. I limped off, took my boot off and told the physio just to spray something on it. I put my foot down and heard it crack. I knew it was broken straight away."

"Everything runs through your mind. I thought: "This is going to be the World Cup over". To be fair, the player rang me to apologise and said he didn't mean to put me out of any games. I accepted the apology because for him to ring me was something."

"People were making things of it, saying it's a coincidence that he was Argentine. I had a joke with Seba about it a few days ago. It's just one of those things and I have to accept it."

"It's the biggest mental test of my career - I haven't had a bad injury before. It's difficult, but I've got to get on with it."

"I've had a few tests over my career, physically and mentally, and I've come through them quite well - and this is just another one."

"But there are a load of more important things going on around the world than my left foot."

"I was scoring goals, I was playing well and I was feeling a lot fresher than I had done for a long time. Then that happens."

"I've never had a bad injury before. This is the first one, so it's difficult but I've got to get on with it. I can't sit back and sulk because there are people worse off than me,"

"A lot of people have mentioned England, but no-one's mentioned that I'm missing a semi-final in the Champions League and that for me at the moment is the upsetting thing."

"It has come at a bad time. We've still got our sights set on Glasgow. At club level there's no bigger competition than the Champions League."

"If we did get through to the final then maybe there'd be a chance (of playing), but that's my heart speaking and not my head. I might recover quicker than I think, but realistically, no."

“I've been in for treatment every day and everyone's doing everything possible.”

"At United you know you've got the best of everything and in my opinion we've got the best doctors and physios, so I'm in good hands and I'm still setting my sights on being fit as quick as I can."