How David Beckham suffered injury in England match that's led to surgery 22 years later

David Beckham has undergone surgeryto fix an issue that first arose more than 20 years ago on England duty. The ex-Three Lions captain, who is set to be awarded a knighthood in King Charles ' Birthday Honours, has received an operation to treat a broken wrist after being 'in pain for years'.

The 50-year-old first suffered the issue while playing against South Africa in a friendly in 2003 before attempting to play on. But Beckham required a hospital trip following the game after falling awkwardly under a challenge from Thabang Molefe.

The midfielder produced an assist for ex-England boss Gareth Southgate in the game but he was replaced by Jermaine Jenas just four minutes into the second period. Beckham was brought off after he was seen struggling with the knock.

And now, Beckham was required to go under the knife after a a recent x-ray showed a screw had embedded in his forearm. The implement was used to patch up his initial issue but failed to dissolve properly.

Reports claim that the ex-Real Madrid and Manchester United megastar had been in pain for a number of years but in recent months it became 'unbearable'. The operation is said to have went well, with wife Victoria at his bedside following the procedure.

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Victoria, 51, posted a touching message to Instagram as she posted a photograph of Beckham post-op, with the words "get well soon daddy". The former footballer smiled with his eyes shut and his arm in a prominent blue sling as he lay in a hospital bed.

A second photograph posted to the Spice Girl's Instagram story showed her husband's wrist displaying a sweet bracelet which read: "Get well soon".

A routine scan is claimed to have highlighted the pin remaining in his arm. As a result he was booked in to fix the situation.

Beckham acknowledged that he has been forced to deal with the ailments that come from a career in football. But suggested he was feeling at his best in a long time in February.

"Do you know what, my body’s actually feeling better than it has done for a long time," he told Men's Health. "People ask where I feel it the most – is it my knees or my ankles?

"My achilles was a bad injury towards the end of my playing career but it never troubles me now, despite rupturing it.

"It’s actually my back and left hip that give me the most grief. I’ve had it X-rayed, MRI’d – it’s just wear and tear."

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