David Beckham insists he will always answer England's call to be captain after taking the armband against Trinidad and Tobago last night.
Beckham led England out for their 3-0 win in Port of Spain, with the cynical view being that it will help gain Jack Warner's vote for the Football Association's 2018 World Cup bid.
Warner, from Trinidad, is FIFA vice-president and holds an important vote - and he has urged the FA to use Beckham in their bid.
'I was surprised and didn't expect it,' Beckham said. 'But I'll always answer the call and be available for my country and captain them as well - it was a surprise but I am honoured to do so.'
Gareth Barry opened the scoring with his first England goal, then Jermain Defoe scored either side of half-time.
'It was a tough performance and the manager was telling us before the game that even though it was a friendly we had to take it seriously,' he added. 'It was the centenary game for them but they wanted to beat England and we had to put in a good performance and I think we did that.
'The players in the camp are motivated and whether we have got experienced players or young players we have to play as one.
'The respect is there [for manager Fabio Capello] and there for one another and that is how it needs to be and the qualifiers are the big thing for us now.'
Defoe was delighted to get back on the scoresheet, his first international goals since 2006.
He told BBC1: 'I enjoyed it. It was important to get the win and I'm delighted to get two goals.
'To play for your country is the best thing in the world. The lads have had long seasons but they're all here and we've enjoyed every minute of it.
'I just want to keep learning. When a new manager comes in everyone starts on the same level and to get two goals, I'm delighted.'
No comments:
Post a Comment