August 11: McClaren Drops Beckham
Nike Mercurial IX
After taking over as manager of the England national team from Sven-Goran Eriksson, Steve McClaren took to the task of making the national side his own and on this day in soccer history in 2006 that he decided the David Beckham would no longer be included in the England set up.
“We spoke on Monday and I said I was planning for the future, looking to go in a different direction, and David was not included in that,” McClaren said at the time.
“It was always going to be a difficult and big decision, but I felt it was one I had to make. It was the sort of conversation that happens in football quite a few times. Of course it was difficult because of the player David is and the working relationship we’ve always had over many years, the respect I’ve got for him and he’s got for me. Things do move on and that’s basically what I said and he accepted it.”
--- Get in the gear of the England national football team. The World Soccer Shop has the best selection of official England soccer jerseys and other official gear from the England soccer team. ---
The first match Becks missed was a friendly against Greece but the midfielder’s exile was short lived. A run of poor results left McClaren looking for new faces, or in Beckham’s case the return of a legend, and with his new found form at Real Madrid Beckham found his way back in the England line-up for the friendly against Brazil in the newly renovated Wembley Stadium.
Beckham obviously proved McClaren and any of his other critics wrong. Beckham has gone on to earn 110+ and counting caps for England and is working to be included in new manager Fabio Capello’s 2010 FIFA World Cup squad.
And in the United States, it was on this day in soccer history in 1999 that Wheaties announce that soccer players from the United States Women’s national soccer team would appear on the front of the cereal box. This marked the first time in the 75 year history that a soccer player was featured on the iconic cereal box front.
Show your support for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team with an official soccer jersey. The World Soccer Shop has the best selection of official WNT soccer gear.
The five special edition boxes included Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Briana Scurry.
Every kids playing sports in American grows up with the dreams of one day being on the Wheaties box,” Hamm said. “It is an honor to join the other great athletes who have been on the Wheaties box.”
The cereal boxes appeared in stores later in the month.
Soccer Birthdays
1870 – Walter Bowman, Canadian soccer player
1966 – Nigel Martyn, English footballer
1971 – Tommy Mooney, English football player
1976 – Ivan Ramiro Cordoba Colombian football player
