Becks' heartbreak
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
David Beckham will miss the World Cup after rupturing an Achilles tendon.The 34-year-old former England captain was hurt in AC Milan's 1-0 Italian Serie A win over Chievo at the San Siro, a victory which helped close the gap on league leaders Inter.
Beckham, on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy, was by himself with the ball at his feet in the final minutes of the game when he shifted his weight and reached down to his left heel.
He then stood up and snapped his wrists, like he was breaking a twig in half - to show the Milan bench he knew the tendon was broken.
"He felt the muscle begin to come up, which is a typical symptom when you break an Achilles tendon," coach Leonardo said.
Beckham was flown to Finland, where he was to undergo surgery, saying he hoped "to make a swift and full recovery."
Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said the player will be out for "probably five or six months".
The World Cup gets underway on June 11 in South Africa, where Beckham had been hoping to play for England before rejoining the Galaxy.
"He was suffering. In the dressing room, I took him in my arms and told him that if he wanted, he will be with us next year," Galliani said.
With no chance to play in what would have been his fourth World Cup, Beckham's international career is likely over after 17 goals and 115 appearances, second highest number of England caps behind only goalkeeper Peter Shilton's 125.
"This injury has been a heavy blow for him and for us. Unfortunately the party is ruined," Leonardo said.
Defender Ignazio Abate said the England star was inconsolable. "He was in tears in the dressing room, he wasn't saying a lot."
Earlier Beckham had admitted he was not guaranteed a place for the World Cup after being an unused substitute in the friendly win over Egypt as coach Fabio Capello gave Theo Walcott and Shaun Wright-Phillips a chance.
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Vocabulary:
rupture -- /ˈrʌp.tʃər/
/-tʃɚ/ [I or T]to (cause to) explode, break or tear
the part of the body that connects the heel bone to the muscles in the lower part of the leg
a small thin branch of a tree or bush, especially one removed from the tree or bush and without any leaves
happening or moving quickly or within a short time, especially in a smooth and easy way
/-ˈsoʊ-/impossible to comfort because of great sadness or unhappiness
Opinions:
I am neither a big fan of Beckham, nor am I a fan of any of the clubs he has played. I am definitely not a fan of AC Milan (because I am an Inter Milan fan), so basically his injury might seem like a good news for the Serie A leader, but putting aside all club conflicts, he is one of the best players in the world. He is not an all-round player, actually, he only has his right leg, but he has perfected his right leg bending shots so fine that he deserves to have his name put into the book of football history. I like his perseverance and his professional attitude.
Being a world-class footballer of his level, some others have strayed from their sporting focus, but not Beckham. He doesn't live in a very big home, but just an Italian villa in Beverly Hills, California[1], which is considered modest for the cash that he is earning. Many people thought that he could have treated himself much better.
I admire his passion for football and professionalism because he knows very well that he loves the game and he must play to get himself back into the English National team, and so he keeps playing, even during the US football league's breaks. At the age of 34, the stamina drops quickly if a footballer stops playing and he knows this, so he joins AC Milan on loan twice and continues to play. This is the kind of spirit a footballer should have, and a spirit that a learner should have. A Chinese saying, used by Premier Wen Jiabao on the future of Hong Kong when meeting the media in Pattaya, Thailand on the 11th April 2009, described the attitude to learning well -- he said, "when you are not constantly improving, you are lagging in the game" or "Hong Kong should not allow any complacency or it will lag behind in competition" or in Chinese, "学如逆水行舟，不进则退".
I hope all of you can benefit from Beckham and Premier Wen, and continue to learn and do well.
Resources:
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=8&art_id=95796&sid=27412825&con_type=1&d_str=20100316&fc=2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=69193&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=680&dict=CALD&topic=the-leg
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=85655&dict=CALD&topic=parts-of-plants
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=80580&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=40016&dict=CALD
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Beckham
http://mytv.tvb.com/news/newsat730/5930/271#page-1
http://dict.longdo.com/index.php?lang=en&search=学如逆水行舟，不进则退