I have nothing to prove - Beckham

England captain David Beckham defiantly tackled his critics head on today and insisted: ‘‘I’ve got nothing to prove in the World Cup.’’

The Manchester United midfielder, who yesterday pledged he would be back from his foot injury for the June 2 opening-game showdown with Sweden, believes the snipers still aim snide comments at him - stemming from France 98.

Beckham was infamously sent off for a silly kick as the national team crashed out of the tournament against Argentina, in an incident which sparked the vilification of him by fans and the Press.

But the skipper, who rescued England’s qualification bid with a last-gasp equaliser against Greece last year, claims he has achieved enough since to silence the doubters.

‘‘There were ups and downs at the last World Cup, which everyone knows about,’’ he said.

‘‘People are saying I’ve got to prove myself but I don’t feel I’ve got to do that.

‘‘I’m definitely a stronger person off the pitch now, as I went through a lot at that point and came through it. Now I’m really excited about the World Cup.

‘‘I’m looking forward to playing against Argentina. That will be the big game because of all the hype around it - but the hype won’t overshadow the match in the players’ eyes as there’s hype about every game, and you have to overcome that.

‘‘People talk about Argentina as a massive game - which it is - but to get off to a good start is a big priority. We need to do that against Sweden.’’

Beckham does not plan to play in the warm-up games against South Korea and Cameroon.

But he will pull on the captain’s armband against the Swedes - and he insists the likely absences of Kieron Dyer and Steven Gerrard will only allow England’s other star players the opportunity to shine.

Beckham, whose squad flew to Dubai last night for five days of rest and relaxation, emphasised the massive importance of making a flying start to the tournament.

He said: ‘‘The injuries are devastating because Kieron and Steven - and Gary Neville (out with a foot injury) - are main players.

‘‘But the squad are so upbeat that there will hopefully be more ups than downs.

‘‘So many people are talking about the ’Group of Death’, but we’ve got to try and blank those thoughts out.

‘‘It’s a very hard group, but if you’re going to do well in big competitions, you’ve got to beat the best.

‘‘We’re not going there to draw games, we’ve got to think we can win every game.’’

The Old Trafford star also disclosed he planned to run up his phone bill in Japan with regular calls to his best friend Neville back home.

The England captain has always relied on Neville’s support and admitted: ‘‘His absence means more than anything to me because he’s my friend.

‘‘Whenever I’ve got a problem he’s the first person I go to if I’m not at home.

‘‘Whenever I have any difficulty, small or large, I’ve gone to Gary.

‘‘That’s what I’ll miss over in Japan, so I’ll just have to pick up the phone and speak to him. I’m sure I’ll be ringing him.’’

As for his fitness fight, Beckham added: ‘‘I’ve been out for five weeks and my fitness is about 95%, and I’m 95% sure I’ll be back for the Sweden game.

‘‘I have to be careful, as if I come back too early there’s a chance it could crack again.

‘‘I’ll leave it as long as I can, as kicking a ball won’t be a problem.’’