DAVID Beckham was inconsolable last night as he recovered from surgery in Finland - his World Cup dreams shattered.
The England hero was operated on less than 24 hours after collapsing in agony playing for Italian giants AC Milan.
Becks, 34, was whisked to a top Scandinavian sports injury clinic wearing a splint.
He grimaced in pain as he arrived on crutches - still praying his Achilles tendon injury was not that bad.
But the leading surgeon who operated on him broke the bombshell news there was "no chance" of him playing in the World Cup.
Dr Sakari Orava confirmed: "The tendon was totally torn."
Even though the operation to fix it went "smoothly", Becks will still be undergoing rehabilitation when the England squad flies out to South Africa this summer.
The frustrated midfield ace, who had been hell-bent on appearing in his fourth successive World Cup finals, will not even be able to kick a ball for three months.
Devastated
Last night a family friend said: "This is probably the lowest point he has ever encountered in his professional career. Words cannot express how devastated David is.
"Mentally this is disastrous. He thinks he's being punished for something he must have done wrong in life, which of course is ridiculous."
Becks, who plays for LA Galaxy in America, was on loan at the Italian club after England boss Fabio Capello insisted he had to show he could still cut it at the top level.
Wife Victoria, 35, was last night due to fly out from Los Angeles to Helsinki via London to be with him. The friend said: "David has been crying and is in deep shock.
"Football is his life and he feels like it has been unfairly taken away from him. He's just so low.
"The only reason he carried on playing so hard in Europe and was away from his family for so long was to get to his last World Cup. He thinks it's all been for nothing."
Yesterday a huge crowd of screaming teenage girls greeted him as he arrived at the Mehilainen clinic in the Finnish town of Turku.
The superstar was sporting a wound on his face from AC Milan's gruelling 1-0 Serie A win against Chievo - although no player was near him when his tendon suddenly gave.
Tears
The Achilles connects the powerful calf muscle to the heel bone.
In Greek myth warrior Achilles was held by the heel as his mum dipped him in a river as a baby to make him immortal.
The heel did not get wet - and was where an arrow later killed him.
Becks hobbled to the side of the pitch where he lay writhing before being stretchered away in tears.
Club doctor Jean Pierre Meersseman made a frantic call to the Finnish doctor.
As Becks was flown out from Milan by private jet an update on his official website described him as "understandably upset".
It added: "He hopes to make a swift and full recovery."
England chief Capello, who phoned Becks to sympathise with him, said: "David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow."
Becks is likely to head back to Milan once he has recovered from his op, while singer Victoria will return to LA to pick up their three sons.
She had already planned to take Brooklyn, 11, Romeo, eight, and Cruz, five, to Italy for an Easter holiday with their dad.
Now even that precious family time will be interrupted by Becks having to keep up his rehab.
A source said: "The consequences of the injury have only just begun to sink in."
Sad but it could help us
By PETER SHILTON
England's most capped player
EVERYONE will be a bit sad for David Beckham - but England must go onward and forwards.
It is a big disappointment for him. He clearly wanted to go to the World Cup and worked very hard to have a chance. It would have been a great finish to his career.
It is a disappointment for England too. He had a lot to offer. But it could prove to be a great opportunity for a young player.
David would have had a very prominent part from a promotional point of view because he is so well-known and liked around the world.
His experience, stature in the game and example he sets younger players would also have been something valued by Fabio Capello.
In any World Cup squad you need people who have been there and seen it and done it before. Up-and- coming youngsters learn from players like that.
But if David had made the squad, any playing appearances would have been just cameo roles.
Now it opens the door for a young player who might have missed out.
I am a big fan of Theo Walcott and you also have Shaun Wright-Phillips, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Ashley Young and young Adam Johnson pushing for winger places.
Moldova in '96, he's sent off in 1998 and scores a vital goal in 2001
David has been amazing with his free-kicks and set plays but there are quite a few young players knocking on the door now.
His place was up for grabs anyway. The extra young player who might go now could be a revelation.
We all know how Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters came into the 1966 team.
I remember David Platt breaking into the squad just in time for the 1990 World Cup, then coming on as a substitute and scoring that late goal against Belgium.
He started the next and scored against Cameroon in the quarter-final. When you lose two or three star players it can really affect you, but I don't think David was one of those.
I wonder if all the years of stress he has put on that standing foot to get the amazing movement of the ball has taken its toll.
I don't think there was a possibility of him breaking my caps record anyway.
I hope he will go to South Africa in some capacity.
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We all feel sympathy for David but, out of adversity, this could even turn out to be an advantage for England.
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