David Beckham went for a run along the beach in Brazil yesterday — Goldenballs on golden sands — adamant that he is fit to win his 100th cap. There have been suggestions that Fabio Capello is worried about Beckham’s sharpness, but the former captain revealed that he had been sending bulletins to the England manager in his bid to reach his century.

Beckham has been training with Arsenal and it is understood that updates have been sent to Massimo Neri, the England fitness coach. Beckham also claimed that Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, had complimented him on his fitness.

“I feel great,” Beckham told The Times. “Arsène Wenger came up to me and said, ‘Fitness-wise you are looking good and looking sharp.’ Arsenal are one of the fittest teams in the Premiership. The England manager has been kept in the loop of what I have been doing. That is what he wanted.”

Beckham was speaking on a 24-hour trip to Natal, on the spectacular northeast tip of Brazil, where he was marking the site of his third academy after London and Los Angeles. Last week he made a trip to Sierra Leone on behalf of Unicef. It is not known what Capello thinks of his globe-trotting, but Beckham, who has not played a competitive game since November, acknowledged that the Italian will make no special allowances for him before next week’s friendly against Switzerland.

Expert View

English football is an industry with wealth measured in billions run by men who cannot organise a diary

Martin Samuel

• More

• Post a comment

Related Links

• Golden Balls

• Fabio Capello and another fine mess

• Beckham anxious as Capello sharpens axe

Multimedia

• We've picked the England team for you, Fabio ...

“You are wasting your time trying to read his mind,” Beckham said. “He doesn’t treat any player any different in the team or in the squad. That is a good thing. In the past, everyone has known the squad and everyone has been very relaxed about it. It is good to have that anxiety, wanting to know whether you are in.”

As the debate continues as to whether he will reach the landmark, Beckham said that he can do nothing more than wait by the phone. He may have played under Capello for Real Madrid and the pair may have celebrated a championship together, but Beckham said that he will receive no favours from a manager who can make Sir Alex Ferguson, under whom he played for Manchester United, seem like a softie.

There was a feeling in the Beckham camp that Steve McClaren had banished him purely to distance himself from Sven-Göran Eriksson’s regime. If Beckham is dropped this time, he will take it on the chin. “Capello only makes decisions on football,” he said. “He doesn’t care about anything else. If he doesn’t think you’re fit he won’t play you, if he doesn’t think you’re good enough he won’t pick you. That’s the way he is — he is a fair man. He does things to do the best for the team and that’s what he’ll do with England.”

Beckham flew back to England last night for Capello’s announcement of a provisional squad of about 28, expected tomorrow. “The players are going to enjoy it immensely, but it is going to be tough because he works you hard,” Beckham said. “And he won’t take any playing around or messing around.

“I’ve seen that at Real Madrid, where we were a long way behind Barcelona and ended up winning the league. His approach is ‘it’s my way’ and that’s the way it has got to be.”

It is a regime that Beckham is eager to sign up to, even briefly. “It would mean the world,” he said. “Getting picked for your country is always special. The 100th game makes it extra special. Hopefully it will happen. Hopefully I’ve worked hard enough to get myself fit, but we’ll have to see.”

Explore Football

• Premier League

• Football League

• Scotland

• European Football

• International Football

• TheGame

• Live Match Tracker

• The Fink Tank

• Fantasy Football