Former England captain David Beckham believes he can add experience to England at next year’s World Cup in South Africa.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport yesterday, the former England captain explained that his sights are set firmly on the global soccer showpiece in Africa as well as AC Milan’s quest to return to next season’s Champions League.
Milan spent a year in purgatory in the UEFA Cup this season after finishing fifth in Serie A last time out and failing to qualify for Europe’s premier competition.
But most important for him is the World Cup and Beckham believes he still has a lot to offer.
“My experience for one, because it’s a young team,” he said. “For me it would be enough just to be useful to the team and to keep working with [Fabio] Capello, who has changed our mentality. We needed that.”
At club level, Beckham would love to see out his career next season with a Champions League final against his former club Manchester United, although he admitted he would find it difficult playing against the team he supported as a boy.
“It would be a problem, but if next season there was a Milan-Manchester final, I would want to win, even if I support United,” he said. “This season I would like to see Manchester play Barcelona. My former colleagues would win, because right now United are too good for everyone. Even if Liverpool with [Steven] Gerrard, one of the best in the world, are dangerous.”
Beckham will stay at Milan until the end of the season before returning to the Los Angeles Galaxy for the rest of this year’s Major League Soccer season.
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in