Beckham looks back
Wednesday, 28 May, 2008
David Beckham reflects on reaching 100 caps as England prepare to take on USA at Wembley.
England v USA
International Friendly
8.05pm, Wednesday 28 May 2008
Wembley Stadium
England Programme - buy online now
Having won his 100th cap for England in Paris, David Beckham is now looking forward to sharing that experience with England supporters at Wembley.
Having joined the legendary names of Peter Shilton, Bobby Moore, Sir Bobby Charlton and Billy Wright with 100 caps for his the Three Lions, Beckham admits it was one of the proudest moments of his life.
In an exclusive interview for the England Programme, Beckham said: "It's any boys dream to reach 100 matches with there country, it was one of the proudest moments of my life. I love playing for my country and to reach that milestone was an incredible experience for me.
"You dream about it but can never imagine it actually happenning. As a boy you always dream about playing for your country but making 100 caps would have been beyond any expectations.
"Wembley would have been "perfection" but just reaching 100 caps means the world to me and I’m so proud to have reached that with all my family and friends there to watch me. Other than Wembley I would have loved to have played it in Paris. The response from the fans and my family made it a very emotional experience for me."
As far as stand out memories go, Beckham has two or three on his mind, but one stands out.
"Without a doubt 5-1 Germany. It is always nice to beat your rivals like that. Greece 2-2 and of course scoring the winner against Argentina.
"Before I finish I would love to win something with my country. My aim is to carry on playing as long as possible and be successful.
"I’ve played in three World Cups and I know how much (the World Cup) means to the country so I would love to be there, but there is a lot of hard work to do before 2010."
Beckham also has very positive things to say for tonight's opponents, as he believes that football in America is improving all the time. Having joined LA Galaxy and the MLS last summer, Beckham has seen at first-hand the development of football stateside and he is hopeful of even more improvement during his time there.
"It is going really well. It’s a great place to play and there is excitement in the grounds wherever we play. Everyone is positive so far and you can see an improvement in the League already.
"The more established sports have a long history and tradition so it’s going to take time and a lot of hard work for football to compete with the likes of Baseball and NFL.
"My boys are playing basketball and ice hockey. I am becoming a big fan of basketball and the LA Lakers.
"The fans have been amazing, very positive to me and my family. That’s why I wanted to be a part of this. It’s my passion to help grow the sport here and encourage kids to play the game.
"I have also played against a couple of US National Team players and of course I play with Landon; who is a great player, a great guy, and one to watch when we play them."