BBC Learning English
Words in the News
15

th

March 2010

Beckham likely to miss World Cup

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2010

Page 1 of 2

bbclearningenglish.com

It has been confirmed that David Beckham is likely to miss this year's World Cup after he was injured

in a match on Sunday. Beckham is one of the most well known sportsmen in the world and losing the

chance to play will disappoint many people. This report from Jack Izzard:

It took just seconds for David Beckham's dream of playing in this year's World Cup to collapse onto

the turf. In the final minutes of a match for his club, AC Milan, he was about to kick the ball when he

suddenly pulled up, clutching his left heel. In tears he hobbled off the pitch, clearly aware something

was badly wrong. But just how bad only emerged later, when his club confirmed he had torn his

Achilles tendon. Dr Tom Crisp, a consultant sports physician, said the player's recovery will be a slow

process:

Dr Tom Crisp:

"It takes many weeks for the tendon itself to heal, six to eight weeks minimum. It's remotely possible

that he may be running in three months, I think that's what I would say. The chances of him being fit

to play for England are just non-existent, I'm afraid."

Beckham is due to fly to Finland for surgery on Monday, but his England manager, Fabio Capello, has

said it's unlikely he'll be ready to play again in time for this summer's World Cup in South Africa. He

concedes it will be bitterly disappointing for the man who was hoping to become the first England

player to play in football's greatest tournament for a fourth time. David Beckham turns 35 this year,

leading some football fans to wonder if such a serious injury could end his playing career.

In a career that's spanned two decades, David Beckham has known fantastic highs and crushing

lows. His many fans will be hoping that this latest sad twist in his football fairytale is not his last.

Jack Izzard, BBC News

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2010

Page 2 of 2

bbclearningenglish.com

Vocabulary and definitions

the turf

the area of short, thick grass where people play football

pulled up

stopped suddenly

clutching

holding tightly

hobbled

walked uncomfortably and in pain

Achilles tendon

a cord inside the leg which joins the heel to the lower leg

non-existent

impossible, not going to happen, out of the question

concedes

agrees it is true

spanned

spread, stretched across

fantastic highs and crushing

lows

unbelievable successes and extremely upsetting failures

fairytale

dream, unrealistically wonderful story

More on this story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8567480.stm

Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2010/03/100315_witn_beckham.shtml