Is Beckham England captain material?

David Beckham may not seem to be the obvious choice, but if inspirational leader Tony Adams and vice-captain Sol Campbell cannot fight off injury, he may be called upon to lead out England against Germany. But has Beckham got the temperament?

Seaman, Southgate and Keown all seem to be safer bets, but Kevin Keegan has pin-pointed Beckham as the future captain of England. Does this reflect poorly on the national squad?

Are the options limited?

Should Keegan look to a defender to lead from the back, or does Beckham's undeniable star quality make him the clear contender?

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I think Le Saux is not a bad choice

  Usana, Thailand

Proof, if it was needed, from the comments received that Manchester United's fan base is spread far and wide. David Beckham as captain possibly but Gary Neville? You cannot be serious. Just to prove I'm not biased, even as a Spurs supporter there is only one man I would pick (deep breath) - Martin Keown. We need a reliable captain who will lead by example and organise what will be an unfamiliar back four and also lead by example as his did in last weeks Champions League match.
Alan Kendall, England

The Germany game is as good a time to blood Beckham in a captain's role with Adams and Campbell out. Being a certainty in Keegan's first team and knowing just what is demanded of him, David will rise to the occasion. He is one to thrive on the challenge and there is none bigger than being captain of your country. It is one role he has openly craved and will no doubt be eager to prove his ability and maturity.
Yaakub Rashid, Singapore

Beckham is such a hard working player. He has passion and can inspire his team mates. Being named as the English captain may also help improve his behaviour on the field. However, having watched the Man Utd vs Chelsea match on Saturday, I think Le Saux is not a bad choice as well.
Usana, Thailand

Right now Seaman, Southgate or the rejuvinated Gary Neville are better bets

  Will Carr, England

The job has to go to a player who is sure to be selected.Beckham is one of very few players who comes into that category. After the Euro 2000 debacle it would be very negative and unimaginative to still be looking at players who are well past 30 years old. I'm still not 100% sure about his temperament, but the responsibility might do him good and he is a class act.
Chris McDermott, England

Beckham is one of the best players in the world and is a vital asset to the England team, but he shouldn't be given this extra responsibility. He hasn't proved at club level yet that he has the maturity to become a captain, let alone at international level. There are many other players with captaincy experience such as Southgate, Wise and Ince and more experienced players such as Seaman, Keown and G.Neville who would be more suited to the role. Let's not damage one of our only true world class talents.
Ross Marshall, UK

Although he is clearly England's best player, the continuous questionmarks surrounding David Beckham's temprement suggest that he is not yet ready to captain his country. I feel that he would be targetted by the opposition and this could be to the detriment of the England gameplan. Beckham's time will come. Right now Seaman, Southgate or the rejuvinated Gary Neville are better bets.
Will Carr, England

Whatever you think about David Beckham he gives everything in every game and combines this with supreme ability

  John Harrop, UK

I think Beckham would make a great captain. He has without a doubt got the ability and determination to suceed in the roll. Beckham is a very hard working player, and he will be around in the England squad for quite a while yet. Beckham's mistake in World Cup 1998 led to heavy criticism, but I think he has coped well and will make a great future captain.
Zoe Patten, England

David Beckham is a quality player, but he is not a candidate for future captain as he is too hot headed.
Kevin Greenhill, England

The selection of Adams as captain raised doubts in my mind because he is often not fit to play. Beckham is nearly always fit to play and has rarely let England down in terms of his performance. I think that it's a myth that footballers respond to rallying calls from their captain during a game, but what a captain can do is inspire by example. Whatever you think about David Beckham he gives everything in every game and combines this with supreme ability. Perhaps these qualities more than anything else mark him out as a possibly successful captain.
John Harrop, UK

Giving the England captaincy to Beckham would be Keegan's worst move yet. He is still ill-disciplined and immature, although very talented. As for the suggestion of Gary Neville, remember the Romania game in Euro 2000?
Peter Magrath, UK

Making him captain would send a message to the other teams - we want to win and we'll do anything to do it

  Peter Blake, Canada

Selecting David Beckham as the England captain would be just the sort of mistake that Kevin Keegan has proved he is so adept at making. He is not a natural born leader, and would bring nothing to the team but the sort of petulance that has seen him lose his rag time and time again when push comes to shove. The obvious choice is Keown, but then looking at the way things have been going recently, he'll probably be placed on the left wing by England's dreadful and tactically useless manager.
Khalifa, Senegal

He's far and away the most gifted footballer England has. Owen is right up there as well, but Beckham is something special and is deserving of the captain's armband.
Bill Hach, USA

David is a very good player but he is not a natural leader and certainly he is not captain material .Sol Campbell would definitely be a brilliant choice though.
Jay Jadagu, USA

Beckham's temperament is a concern only within England. Making him captain would send a message to the other teams - we want to win and we'll do anything to do it. After Euro 2000, it wouldn't be such a bad message to be sending, and even not such a bad message to send to the rest of the England side. Besides, if you're going to base your whole offence around the guy, you might as well make him captain!
Peter Blake, Canada

Captaincy calls for maturity and leadership, two things that Beckham has yet to show

  Martin, England

David Beckham would make an excellent England Captain. I believe the added responsiblity would enhance his concentration and improve his over all discipline on the field.
David Molyneux, Canada

Captaincy calls for maturity and leadership, two things that Beckham has yet to show. I think that his appointment as captain would be due to media pressure.
Martin, England

A captain's role is as much off the field as on. Wonderful player this boy undoubtedly is, I feel Keegan will attract more interest than is politic to the England team.
Jerry McBride, Scotland

I doubt Keegan will actually give the captaincy to Beckham. Keegan must realise that while Beckam may have improved his level of maturity, he still has not produced much at international level. Beckham looked uninspired throughout Euro 2000, and alhough he played well in the friendly against France, I remain unconvinced.
Clay Schouest, USA

He certainly has the ability and determination to succeed internationally but his temperament is questionable

  Andy Martindale, England

Although Beckham has had his card problems, I believe he would make a great captain. He has the talent and the backing and perhaps the temperament will follow.
Damon Fernandes, USA

I agree with Andy Martindale, David has everything, and is a very hard working player, which is important to be a good captain. But his temper is not the best, and so Gary Neville may make a better person. Since playing in Manchester's centre, he's shown determination and leadership which I didn't realise he had.
John Blind, UK

Allowing David Beckham to lead the English team will definitely enable him to show his leadership qualities. Even though we all know of David's temperament, I think he should be given this chance so that he can prove to the world that he can also be a good captain as well as a top class footballer.
Roy Maraye, Mauritius

Beckham is captain material. Obviously, David would be a perfect choice as England's captain in the future, but for now, I feel that we should not rush things. The absence of Campbell and Adams is certainly going to cause Mr Keegan some problems as the Germany game approaches. But it's not about who should be given the captaincy (England has Keown, Wise, Ince and even Le Saux for that role), but who to play as central defenders.
GSC, Singapore

I thought the idea was that you picked someone with proven maturity and leadership skills, not some petulant prima donna who can't control his temper

  Paul Charlton, UK

I think he's capable of being the English captain. He is a good player and has the strong determination to lead the team.
Loila, Philippines

I am a 14 year old Manchester United fan and I think David Beckham should lead the English team out against Germany. He's got everything; skill, determination and gets on well with his teammates. That makes Beckham a good captain! Go on David. Do England proud and beat the Germans!
Adam Gallivan, South Wales

He certainly has the ability and determination to succeed internationally but his temperament is questionable. Gary Neville would be a better choice, as he's proving at the moment even with average defenders around him his leadership qualities are for all to see. Against Sunderland two weeks ago one of our big hopes for the future Phillips should have stayed at home as he didn't get a sniff of the ball.
Andy Martindale, England

Beckham? Captain? I thought the idea was that you picked someone with proven maturity and leadership skills, not some petulant prima donna who can't control his temper and disgraces his nation in front of millions of viewers, but maybe I'm just old-fashioned?
Paul Charlton, UK

Let's nurture this leadership potential for the long term and leave Germany to take the risks.

  Alex Grell, UK

I think it would be a perfect time to make him the captain as it would be a temporary position until Adams recovers. It would bed him in nicely for the role and bring the best out of his football.
Sam Saidi, UK

This could be an inspired move by Keegan, the added responsibility may effect Beckham's attitude in a positive way and make him less likely to end up in the referee's book. This was exactly the effect that was seen in Roy Keane when Sir Alex made him captain of Man United. Beckham sets a great example to other players in his commitment to the team. He will chase tirelessly and recognises the value of really working hard while doing the simple things as well as trying to add flashes of brilliance. Take a chance and make Beckham captain, I think it will pay off.
Andy, UK

I think David is definitely a good mid to long term choice of England captain but given the critical nature of this game I am not convinced this is the time to bed in a new captain with no experience of the role. Under the tutelage of a Keene or an Adams over a period of time I think David will make a good future England captain. He has proven resilience (in the light of severe recriminations), passion and undoubted skill and ability and can lead by example. My concern is that should this experiment (should we even be experimenting in a world cup qualifier against our old enemy?) fail, when we already have a Keown who can more than ably fulfil this role, the fall-out for both Beckham and Keegan could be potentially disastrous. Let's nurture this leadership potential for the long term and leave Germany to take the risks.
Alex Grell, UK

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