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It was apt that David Beckham's England debut was in a World Cup qualifier - against Moldova in 1996 - given the huge part the tournament has played in his career, writes Michael Hart.
Having been called up for the 1998 finals in France, Beckham quickly made his mark with a goal in the 2-0 group win over Colombia.
However, he became public enemy No1 after the next game when he was sent off for petulantly kicking out at Argentina's Diego Simone. With Beckham off, England lost the penalty shoot-out 4-3.
Made England captain by caretaker manager Peter Taylor for a game against Italy in November 2000, Beckham was a national hero a year later when his goal against Greece at Old Trafford secured a place in the finals in Japan.
A broken metatarsal in spring 2002 put his place at the finals in jeopardy and although he was eventually passed fit he was not at his best.
He scored a matchwinning penalty against Argentina, to banish the demons of 1998, before England were knocked out by Brazil.
Beckham captained England, under Sven-Goran Eriksson, in all five games in the 2006 finals, scoring against Ecuador to secure a quarter-final with Portugal.
The match ended goalless and, as Beckham was substituted, he was not on the pitch for the shoot-out defeat.
