LONDON - David Beckham is no longer England's main man.

England soccer player Divid Beckham [Reuters]

 

The 31-year-old midfielder - known as much for his glamorous lifestyle, fashion sense and tattoos as for his bending free kicks - has been eclipsed as his country's key player.

Wayne Rooney, recovering from a broken foot, is the player England's opponents fear most. Midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are considered more influential than Beckham.

Beckham's future at Real Madrid is uncertain, and his England captaincy is being questioned.

He has a lot riding on the World Cup in Germany, which could be his last chance to make his mark at a major championship. For the first time since 2000, he's injury-free heading into a big tournament.

"Physically I'm going into this competition - touch wood - without any broken bones or anything like that," Beckham said. "So personally I feel great. Physically, mentally, it's perfect."

Beckham has just finished his third season at Real Madrid, which coincides with the Spanish club's worst trophy drought since the early 1950s.

"Even though I haven't won anything, I've played well this season," Beckham said. "It's a feeling that I've never really felt before, to be honest. When I was at (Manchester) United, there was only one year without winning anything. It is a strange feeling, but it also gives you that push to want to go on and win something."

Beckham thinks England has a great chance to do that at the World Cup, even though Rooney is in doubt with a broken foot.

"Because of where it is this time as well, because it's in Europe," he said. "I think it's better physically for the team. We have got the belief this time."

This will most likely be Beckham's last tournament as England captain.

One of his greatest supporters, coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, is leaving the job after the tournament. His successor, Steve McClaren, has hinted he might not keep Beckham as captain, a position he has held since 2001.

Liverpool's Gerrard and Chelsea's John Terry have been mentioned as suitable captains. In April, former England captain Bryan Robson said Beckham wasn't a natural leader; England World Cup winner Bobby Charlton agreed.

"For now, I am the captain and I will lead the team into this World Cup and hopefully be successful," Beckham said. "After that, we'll have to wait and see."

It hasn't helped that Beckham hasn't always played well at international tournaments.

At the 1998 World Cup in France, he was sent off for petulantly kicking Argentina's Diego Simeone. Down to 10 men, England lost the second-round game on penalty kicks.

Beckham played in England's disappointing European Championship campaign in 2000, when the team went out in the first round. That came after an outstanding season with Manchester United, which won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup titles.

He scored the final-minute free kick against Greece to secure England's qualification for the 2002 World Cup. He was rushed back onto the team after breaking his foot two months before the tournament and scored on a penalty kick in a group game against Argentina. But England was eliminated by Brazil in the quarterfinals.

Beckham left Manchester United, the club he joined as a youth player, in 2003 after falling out with manager Alex Ferguson and went to Spain. His glitzy life with former pop star "Posh Spice" Victoria has meant Beckham remains a mainstay of the tabloids.

But "Becks" has been overshadowed as England's most luminous star by Rooney. At the 2004 European Championship, the Manchester United striker ¡ª then 18 ¡ª was outstanding and scored four goals in four games.

Beckham had a mediocre tournament and didn't appear to be fully fit. He missed a penalty kick in the 2-1 loss to France and sent England's first penalty kick over the bar in the quarterfinal shootout loss to Portugal.

Things weren't any better off the field. Beckham's clean-cut family image was tarnished by accusation of infidelity he never outrightly denied.

He has also lost his place as the world's highest-paid player to the talented but less photogenic Ronaldinho of Brazil. The April edition of France Football put Ronaldinho's annual revenue at $29 million, including salary and sponsorship, pushing Beckham off the top spot for the first time in three years. Beckham earned $22.5 million, down from $31 million.

Beckham needs a good tournament to secure his future at Real Madrid. The club is in flux because the man who signed him, chairman Florentino Perez, resigned in March, and his replacement quit two months later. Elections are planned for July 2 - when England hopes to still be alive in the World Cup.

Beckham said he wants to finish his career in Spain, then concentrate on his family and his youth soccer academies in Los Angeles and London.

"I believe there's at least four or five years left in my legs," he said. "Hopefully, that will be as an England player as well as a Real Madrid player."