After crashing out of a third consecutive major tournament, David Beckham has decided that the time has come to throw in the towell. He found himself against the likes of Figo, Pauleta and Ricardo yet again, and with England behind him had every chance of guiding Sven's men to victory. However, he was outdone on the third occasion by 'Big Phil' Scolari after another nailbiting penalty shootout, and was devastated to have to leave the field due to injury. This was reflected in his crying on the touchline as his comrades battled defiantly to save their World Cup Dream. Although Beckham may have ended his captaincy absent of any silverware, he has proved to be a proud and inspired leader in the England side.


However, the question still stands, who will pick up where 'Golden Balls' left off?
The main contenders for the armband are Chelsea captain John Terry, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and Manchester United captain Gary Neville. The fomer of these is the favourite, and a player who leads by example and inspires those around him. He has won the league title with Chelsea two years in a row, and is the people's favourite to take over. Gerrard has proved himself a world class midfielder at Liverpool, but has recently experienced problems in playing alongside Frank Lampard for his country. Better international form could increase his chances of captaining England. Finally, Gary Neville has been a solid and dependable figure for his club and country for years, but the only worry is his age. He will not be playing by the next world cup, and is behind Terry and Gerrard in the running for the England captaincy.