Football
ESPN staff 10y

Beckham urges Gerrard not to retire

David Beckham has told Sky Sports News that he hopes Steven Gerrard does not retire from international football and remains as England captain.

- Brewin: Time for captain Gerrard to jump ship

Gerrard is considering his international future after a disappointing 2014 World Cup saw England fail to qualify from the group stage.

The 34-year-old has 113 caps to his name and Beckham, who represented the Three Lions 115 times, has advised the Liverpool midfielder to lead his nation for as long as possible.

Beckham said: "Obviously I have been there. I played for England for quite a few years and captained England. But it's one of the things I miss out of my whole career.

"I miss playing for Manchester United, I miss playing for Real Madrid, but England's always been my real number one passion and playing for England always meant more to me than anything else. So for me it's the thing I miss -- playing for England.

"I think it would be great if Steven continues because it was a disappointing tournament for the whole team and the captain kind of takes the real kind of brunt of things.

"But as a captain you feel a certain responsibility to lift the team. Stevie has done that for many years for Liverpool and for England. He has always been a real motivator, the way he plays and his passion that he shows on the pitch.

"I would love to see Stevie continue because I think these young players need someone to look up to and a mentor -- someone that has been there and done it -- and I think that Steve is a great captain. He has been for Liverpool and England.

"He doesn't need my advice but one thing that I would say; that if you can play for England as long as you can, then do it."

^ Back to Top ^