David Beckham

Seattle: David Beckham insisted Friday that he will not retire from international football even if he plays a pivotal role in winning the World Cup for England next summer.

The former captain’s dream scenario is John Terry lifting the trophy aloft as he equals Peter Shilton’s record of 125 caps in Johannesburg next July, but even achieving such a storybook ending would not persuade him to walk away.

In an exclusive interview with this newspaper before Sunday’s MLS Cup final between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake, Beckham revealed he cannot envisage the day when he would make himself unavailable to play for his country.

“If we won the World Cup and I equalled the caps record in the final, that would be an amazing way to finish, but I’d still find it hard to walk away from playing,” Beckham said. “Even if that dream came true, I’d still make myself available to play for my country. I’d love to still be involved in some way, whether it’s actually playing a game or not. My passion for the team and for the country is that strong. That’s never going to change.”

Part of Beckham’s motivation springs from a determination to make amends for the disappointment of previous World Cups. Injuries hindered his performances at the past two tournaments, in Germany, and Japan and South Korea, while his emergence on the world stage in France in 1998 was overshadowed by the sending off against Argentina.

“I’ve not shown my best at the World Cup, but in the three tournaments I’ve played at, I scored in each one and had quite a few assists as well,” he said. “But they all ended badly with England not going any further, which is always disappointing.”

“You never want to make excuses, but there have been things that hindered us as individuals and as a team in the past, whether it be injuries or even the weather conditions. Cool temperatures next summer should certainly help.”

Beckham’s next task after Sunday’s final is to rush to the aid of England’s troubled 2018 World Cup bid, and he is already being viewed as a potential saviour. Such is his commitment to the cause that he is paying £50,000 towards hiring a private jet to take him from the Galaxy’s post-season tour in the United States to the World Cup draw in Cape Town on December 4, where he will have an important role to play glad-handing Fifa officials.

Beckham has monitored the internal feuding that has undermined the bid from afar and believes that Lord Triesman, the bid chairman, and the other 2018 administrators should stop squabbling.

“I saw a headline the other day saying that the World Cup bid was in trouble, which you don't want to hear, but we've still got time to make things happen,” he said. “The most important thing is that everyone stops arguing amongst themselves, as the big thing to remember about this bid is it’s for the entire country.”

Beckham’s potential impact on England’s bid has been likened to that of Nelson Mandela in helping to bring next year’s World Cup to South Africa by the tournament’s chief executive, Danny Jordaan, but it is a comparison the England midfield player rejects.