Beckham tears Achilles' tendon, career may be over

Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham suffered a ruptured left Achilles' playing in Italy tonight for AC Milan. (Video) The injury is serious enough to quash his hopes to compete one more time for England in this year's World Cup. It may also finish off his U.S. soccer cameo with the Galaxy, and the English soccer press is speculating this could be the end of Beckham's playing career. The Times of London:

Beckham was unchallenged when he pulled up in the 88th minute of last night’s 1-0 victory. He grasped his left ankle before making a “broken” gesture with his hands. He limped off the field in tears, repeating: “It’s broken, it’s broken,” according to reporters.

“David’s injury makes us sick,” Leonardo, the Milan coach, said. “When I think of his personal history, everything I know about him, how hard he works, I feel so bad for him."

In the Times of Los Angeles, soccer expert Grahame Jones writes the injury "probably will spell the end of his international career [and] could mean that his Major League Soccer career also will come to an end." Beckham was scheduled to fly to Finland for surgery as soon as Monday.

BBC Radio: "The news is absolutely devastating for David Beckham..." Story with audio

Photo: Times of London