The Hollywood story of David Beckham has met an unhappy ending.

The 34-year-old was seemingly heading for a fourth World Cup finals appearance after accumulating 115 caps, but his dream of sharing in success for England in South Africa this summer has been cruelly taken away.

Behind acres of tabloid news-print and obscured by celebrity obsession and unimaginable piles of cash, Beckham is a man whose only real desire is to play his best football for the best club that will have him.

Hollywood might have seemingly been made for him but it turned out to be a film script too far. When Beckham gave up the Tinseltown life to sign an initial short-term loan with AC Milan the message was clear - it's not over yet.

But it is his second spell in Serie A - taken in desire to prove his competitive ability for South Africa - which has spelt the end of his World Cup hopes and possibly his career.

Whether Beckham may have made the final 23-man squad will now never be known, but he offered a different option to Fabio Capello, a man who the charming Englishman won over at Real Madrid after he announced his move to California.

Beckham's resurrected ambition will have come as no surprise to England boss Capello, who has always viewed the player in a way so few others have come to do - as a footballer rather than a celebrity.

Brought up in the best possible environment at Old Trafford, Beckham was a member of the famous Manchester United youth team which swept all before them and provided the backbone for the club for generations to come.

In those days, all he was interested in was playing alongside team-mates like Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil. A future first-team place appeared inevitable.

By 1995, Beckham had graduated into a first-team regular alongside stars such as Eric Cantona, and on the opening day of the 1996-97 season he gave the first glimpse of his genius by scoring from the halfway line against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park.

By then he had also had his first taste of international action, making his debut in a World Cup qualifier against Moldova in 1996, having been named the Professional Footballers Association's Young Player of the Year.

But in the ill-fated 1998 World Cup campaign Beckham hit the headlines for the wrong reasons when he was sent off for lashing out at Diego Simeone in the last 16 match against Argentina, and he was widely blamed for costing England the game.

It took some time for Beckham to win back the England supporters but on the red side of Manchester it was a different matter as he helped Sir Alex Ferguson's men claim an unprecedented treble in 1999.

Beckham finished second in the World Footballer of the Year awards behind Rivaldo, and to the irritation of Ferguson had begun blossoming into a fully-fledged celebrity due to his relationship with Victoria Adams - aka 'Posh Spice'.

The impact of that relationship upon his playing ability was keenly analysed when Beckham became embroiled in a row with Ferguson over his decision to miss training while his wife was away at a fashion shoot.

In 2003, his tempestuous relationship with Ferguson came to the fore again when the United manager kicked a boot which struck Beckham in the face after his side's FA Cup defeat to Arsenal, requiring stitches.

At that point it became clear Beckham had no future at Old Trafford under Ferguson and it was no surprise that he should sign with the only rival club to merit his services - Real Madrid.

Beckham shone in his early days at Real and was an integral part of the side which claimed the Primera Division title in 2007 but his contract negotiations were proving problematic and his first-team place no longer assured.

By now, the sheer magnitude of Beckham's celebrity was impacting his status as a footballer and leading to the suspicion that clubs were interested in him as much as a means to increase their own merchandising as to covet him on the pitch.

And when Beckham announced he would relinquish the England captaincy following the 2006 World Cup, shortly before quitting Real to sign a lucrative Major League Soccer contract with LA Galaxy, it appeared his days as a leading player were over.

Capello banished Beckham to the reserves, but the midfielder's hard work prompted a recall and he justified the Italian's faith.

Beckham was initially overlooked by new boss Steve McClaren, although he was subsequently forced into a humiliating U-turn.

But Beckham seemed set to suffer the same fate under McClaren's successor and his former Real boss, Capello, when he was left out of the squad for the Italian's first match in charge against Switzerland.

Yet just when it looked like Beckham may never get to achieve such lofty international heights his seemingly slumbering instinct for football at the highest level tore free of its celebrity shackles once again.

Beckham has revelled in his new life in Milan and had been rewarded by Capello with the chance to fashion one final hurrah on the international stage.

He surpassed the record number of outfield caps won by Bobby Moore - England's World Cup-winning captain - and was moving in on Peter Shilton's all-time cap record.

But far from merely accumulating caps, Beckham had a dream of emulating Moore and the class of 1966.

Now the dream is over.