David Beckham stepped down as captain of England on Sunday following their exit from the World Cup finals at the hands of Portugal. "I came to this decision some time ago but I hoped to announce it on the back of a successful World Cup, but sadly that wasn't to be," Beckham said in a statement on Sunday. "This decision has been the most difficult of my career to date. But after discussing it with my family and those closest to me, I feel the time is right," an emotional Beckham added. The Real Madrid midfielder, who has captained the Three Lions for six years, insisted his decision does not mean he will be retiring from international football. "It has been an honor and a privilege to captain our country and I want to stress that I wish to continue to play for England and look forward to helping both the new captain and Steve McClaren in any way I can," he said. The 31-year-old, who made his international debut against Moldova ten years ago, has made 58 of his 94 caps as England's skipper. "It was the greatest honor of my career when [former England caretaker manager] Peter Taylor made me England captain and I fulfilled the England dream," he said.
The former Manchester United talisman lamented England's World Cup exit after losing to Portugal 3-1 after a penalty shootout on Saturday. "Our performance during this World Cup has not been enough to progress and myself and all the players regret that and are hurt by that more than people realize," Beckham added. Beckham's decision opens the door for speculation over the identity of his successor. England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, who is also stepping down from his position, is confident that his successor, McClaren, will have no problem finding an heir for Becks. "It is now Steve McClaren's job to decide on Beckham's successor," the Swede said. "He has a lot of choices that are more than capable of doing the job." Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and Chelsea skipper John Terry are the frontrunners to replace Beckham, especially that co-captain Michael Owen has not been featuring for England much lately.
