Goalkeeping legend Peter Shilton says David Beckham has done "exceptionally well" to revive his England career and be in line for a record-equalling cap.

If he faces Spain the 33-year-old will match Bobby Moore's milestone of 108 caps for an England outfield player.

"At a certain age, as a midfielder lots of things can go wrong stamina-wise," said Shilton, who won 125 England caps.

"He went to America thinking his England career was probably over but was thrown a lifeline and took it."

Shilton also said he thought there was a good chance Beckham could go on to break the former keeper's overall record but did raise questions about some of the Los Angeles Galaxy player's appearances.

606: DEBATE Give your views on Beckham's landmark

"You can never say never - I'd be surprised but he's determined. If he breaks my record, I'll be the first to congratulate him," he stated of Beckham, who is currently on loan at AC Milan.

"Maybe not if he does it with two or three-minute substitutions but if it's legitimate, then all well and good.

"I felt against Belarus, when he came on for a minute, that was a bit farcical - it probably wasn't the right thing to do. It was probably the only mistake England coach Fabio Capello has made but against Kazakhstan he came on for 15 minutes and it was a good tactical thing to do.

"We'll have to wait and see how Capello sees David's future - will he be a regular for every game and will he be able to play six World Cup games in succession, which is what you need to do to win the World Cup?"

England currently head the Group Six 2010 World Cup qualifying table and face Ukraine on 1 April in a bid to move closer to the finals in South Africa.

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Archive - Beckham's rollercoaster World Cup '98

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