I will never give up on Three Lions, says defiant Beckham

David Beckham today insisted he has not given up on winning 100 caps for England and is not considering quitting international football.

Beckham had hoped to reach the landmark in England's friendly against Switzerland next week only for new England coach Fabio Capello's to leave him out of his 30-man squad.

The 32-year-old, who came back from the international wilderness before when previous manager Steve McClaren left him out at the start of his reign, was contacted by Capello on Wednesday night and was told he was not fit enough to feature in the game, having not played a competitive match since November.

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Beckham cancelled an appearance at a charity event in London last night, flying back to the USA to begin training with LA Galaxy, and instead recorded a video message.

"He was obviously disappointed," Beckham's publicist, Simon Oliviera, said Friday. "He has to report to training on Saturday and needed a few hours to catch up with the kids."

Beckham said: "There's no chink of retirement crossing my mind. I don't want to retire yet and I don't plan on retiring from club football or international football.

"I have always said I want to be available for my country - that's what I did when Steve McClaren took me out of the team. I didn't quit even though deep down I didn't think I would play for England again, so to be on 99 is great. It's more than I dreamed of.

"I've been lucky enough in my career to come back from tough times and disappointment. I'll come back from it again, in my own way.

"I won't get bitter and twisted because I am old enough and I have got enough respect for the manager to realise that if it does not happen, life goes on."

Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick backed Capello's decision to drop Beckham but hinted he would like to see the midfielder eventually earn 100 caps.

"The coach picks the team, he picks the squad and the tactics, and the most important arguments he has to make are football arguments," Barwick said in the Guardian.

"In an ideal world, there's a logic to David Beckham having 100 caps but first and foremost it's the coach's decision and I respect that.

"Fabio knows that the most important thing is the games but we should give him the independence to make the decisions that are appropriate for the England team."