Becks' eyes on South Africa

Beckham: Looking to play on

If I carry on all the way through to the World Cup then great.

Beckham
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LA Galaxy's David Beckham is hoping to play in South Africa in 2010 should England qualify for the World Cup finals.

The Three Lions are currently on course to qualify having won all four of their qualifiers to date under Fabio Capello, including an impressive 4-1 win in Croatia.

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United man is set to join Serie A giants AC Milan next month in order to maintain his fitness and stay in Capello's thoughts ahead of next year's qualifiers.

Although Beckham will be 35 by the time the prestigious tournament in South Africa comes around, the set-piece specialist hopes there is room for him in Capello's 23-man squad.

Maintain fitness

"It's important I play well in every game and keep my fitness up," he said on Sky Sports News. "That's one of the reasons why I'm going to AC Milan for a few months.

"I've been given the chance to play for another one of the biggest clubs in the world, but if you ask the guys up here playing for your country is one of the biggest honours that you could ever be given in football.

"Of course I'd love to carry on playing for my country, but like I've said I'm just taking each game as it comes. If I carry on all the way through to the World Cup then great. I'm enjoying the qualifiers, I'm enjoying the way the team are playing together and bonding."

Beckham believes England's fine qualifying campaign under Capello has helped erase the painful memory of their failure to qualify for Euro 2008 under Steve McClaren.

World of good

Beckham added: "The new regime is doing each player and the team a world of good and it's doing our country the world of good because of the disappointment of not making the Euros was very disappointing as a country.

"It's important now that we concentrate, carry playing like we are and hopefully we can reach the World Cup finals, but we've still got a lot of hard work to do.

The 33-year-old is England's third most capped player on 107 appearances and the London-born star is honoured be to among the likes of the great Bobby Moore and Sir Bobby Charlton in terms of England appearances.

"I'm very honoured and privileged to be on 107 caps. At one point I didn't think I'd make 95. To be up there with the likes of Bobby Moore and Sir Bobby Charlton is an honour," he concluded.