Why Becks is still so crucial to England success

DAVID BECKHAM is the best deliverer of a football the world has ever seen. That is why there is every chance he will be England’s key player against Paraguay today.

I was working as a scout for the FA in the run-up to the last World Cup and when Beckham fractured his metatarsal, I remember saying to Sven-Goran Eriksson: ‘There is no choice. If David can get through games you take him. You have to. He’s irreplaceable.’

Four years on he is still irreplaceable. It’s a well-known fact that around 40% of goals are scored from set-pieces at every level of football. This World Cup will be no different.