Budweiser Man of the Match: David BECKHAM (ENG)

Budweiser Man of the Match: David BECKHAM (ENG)

15 June 2006

David Beckham was named Budweiser Man of the Match after England’s 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday.

The England skipper spent the entire 90 minutes serving dangerous balls into the penalty area, and it was one such cross that finally brought the breakthrough, Crouch heading past Shaka Hislop in the 83rd minute for the first goal by an England player at this FIFA World Cup™.

"David Beckham is the Budweiser Man of the Match today for a number of reasons,” said FIFA Technical Study Group member Rodrigo Kenton. “At times, he dictated the pace of the game and the quality of the ball he delivered for England's first goal was superb.”

Beckham, who spent part of the second half in an unfamilar right-back role, contributed with his leadership at a time when England might have let themselves get frustrated. "Being the captain of a team is a very important job and today Beckham did that superbly," said Kenton.

"Things were not going well for England, but he rallied the team by the standard of his performance and by his character. He knows the rhythm of the team, he is able to manipulate it - and quite simply, he is a quality player."