Sport 02-09-2003 Beckham: We Blew It who: David Beckham what: Says England gave away the World Cup when they lost to Brazil in quarter-final when: Last summer snippet: "England captain David Beckham believes that his best chance of lifting the World Cup could have gone," says the ITV news website. "The 28-year-old influential midfielder was left shattered after he and his team-mates were knocked out of last year`s World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea." The none-too-surprising revelation comes from The Sun, which continues its serialisation of the England skipper`s new autobiography, My Side, co-written by Tom Watt, which is published later this month by CollinsWillow. Beckham feels that England didn`t so much lose as give away their quarter-final against Brazil. "The England captain says the team wilted physically and mentally in the 100F heat of Shizuoka after Rivaldo`s equaliser at the end of the first half `snatched away` their momentum," reports The Guardian. Meanwhile, reports The Telegraph, Beckham has been paid a very big compliment by his new boss, Real Madrid coach Carlos Queiroz, who said yesterday that he "believes the likes of Zinedine Zidane can `learn` from the new No.23. "David brings intensity," says Queiroz, Sir Alex Ferguson`s former right-hand man at Old Trafford, "that 90 minutes of complete concentration that characterises English football. Beckham can give us that Englishness. We can benefit from that. Others can learn from him." [... more]

What The Papers Say is delivered to thousands of readers every morning by web, WAP and email. Sign up today!