Scorecard

A Bad Break

David Beckham's Injury

By Grant Wahl

If you think the U.S. media hyperventilates over sports, consider the reaction in the U.K. last week to the news that English soccer captain David Beckham may miss the upcoming World Cup finals -- which begin on May 31 -- after breaking a bone in his left foot during a game for his club team, Manchester United. BECKHAM FACES END OF THE WORLD, screamed The Guardian, lamenting the injury that was also described as THE MOMENT THE DREAM DIED (The Sun) and OUR WORST NIGHTMARE (The Mirror). "Nothing is more important to England's preparations," said Prime Minister Tony Blair through a spokesman, "than the state of David Beckham's foot."

For his part Beckham said he was "overwhelmed" by the outpouring of support, the result of his remarkable transformation from Bill Buckner status to national icon. Only four years ago Beckham was hung in effigy after being ejected from a World Cup match for childishly kicking at Argentina's Diego Simeone. England was eliminated on penalty kicks in that second-round game, and fans blamed Beckham. Since then he's rebuilt his image by guiding Man U to one European and three Premier League titles, gaining the captaincy of the English team and scoring on a last-second free kick against Greece last October to qualify England for the Cup finals. Beckham, the husband of former Spice Girl Victoria Adams, is so ingrained in British pop culture that on Friday, Bend It Like Beckham opened in London; the film depicts a girl who longs to make a ball swerve the way it does off one of Beckham's free kicks.

Adding to last week's drama, Beckham's broken metatarsal was caused by a reckless two-footed tackle by Aldo Duscher, a midfielder for the Spanish club Deportivo La Coruña who happens to be Argentine. England and Argentina have a long and bitter rivalry, and Duscher was unrepentant. "Football is a man's game," he said. "I have nothing to be sorry for." Nor did it help matters that the Argentine sports daily Olé crowed DON'T CRY FOR ME, ENGLAND.

The countries will meet in a World Cup match on June 7, and England's hopes may depend on the health of Beckham, the world's finest taker of free kicks and crosses. By week's end doctors had shortened his expected recovery time from eight weeks to six, which means he could be back in time. Leaving nothing to chance, psychic (and soccer fanatic) Uri Geller asked fans last week to lay their hands on a televised picture of Beckham's foot and "visualize the bone knitting together." If Geller can mend bones as well as he bends spoons, then England -- and its Captain Fantastic -- might be in luck.

Issue date: April 22, 2002

For more Scorecard see this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands Wednesday, April 17. Click here to subscribe to SI.

 

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