Great Britain football coach Stuart Pearce has revealed that David Beckham was left "disappointed" by his omission from the 18-man squad that will compete at the Olympic Games in London later this month.
The LA Galaxy midfielder had been widely tipped to make the final selection after he was named on the standby list in June.
However, Pearce has opted against picking the former England captain, choosing to hand the overage slots to Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards instead.
Discussing his reasoning behind the decision, Pearce has insisted that he was motivated by "footballing ability".
"I've spoken to David [Beckham] several times over the summer when our season finished and asked if he would be interested," Pearce told reporters. "I did that with several other players as well. I spoke to him on Thursday as to his non inclusion in this squad.
"I thought it was proper that he heard from me. I've watched him three times in the US and have watched every game he's played for LA Galaxy on DVD.
"He was disappointed like every player in the 35-man standby list. If we get injuries, he's still in that criteria. I've treated everyone in the same manner, no matter whether they were overage players, and I've picked in terms of footballing ability."
Reports have claimed that Beckham may still be handed a coaching role by Pearce.
Liam Apicella
