Beckham steps down as England penalty taker

England captain David Beckham concentrates during a training session in Manchester. Beckham has stepped down as England's penalty taker and any spot-kicks awarded during Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Austria will be taken by Frank Lampard.

David Beckham has stepped down as England's penalty taker and any spot-kicks awarded during Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Austria will be taken by Frank Lampard.

Beckham has not taken a penalty in any competitive match since Euro 2004, when he failed from the spot against France and in the quarter-final shoot-out against Portugal, which England lost.

England's head coach, Sven Goran Eriksson confirmed on Friday that Beckham had informed him of his intentions several months ago.

"The fact is David has not taken a penalty in a match for a long, long time," Eriksson said. "I don't think he ever did it for Real Madrid, so that means the last one was for the national team (at Euro 2004), and Frank (Lampard) always takes them."

Beckham also missed a penalty in England's final qualifier for Euro 2004, against Turkey in Istanbul, where he blamed loose turf for an effort that he sent flying high over the bar.

In fact the midfielder has never looked at ease with the responsibility of taking spot-kicks. Against Argentina in the 2002 World Cup, he struck his match-winning penalty straight down the middle and was fortunate the goalkeeper had opted to dive early.

Beckham subsequently admitted that he had felt as if his chest was going to explode as he struggled to compose himself just before that effort.

The England captain is expected to revert to the right side of England's midfield on Saturday following the failure of Eriksson's attempt to deploy him in a holding role in front of the back four in the last two qualifiers, a lacklustre win over Wales and an embarassing defeat in Northern Ireland.

Although Beckham's arrival in Manchester was delayed by concerns over the health of his son, Romeo, Eriksson was confident his captain would carry his recent form for Real Madrid into Saturday's match.

"He has looked very sharp in training," Eriksson said. "Of course he has some private problems and I hope that all goes well for him. But tomorrow he will be on the pitch and he will be captain and he will be extremely focused on what he has to do for the team for 90 minutes."