Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
First he was dropped, then he was brought back, and now David Beckham, below, seems destined to end his life as an international footballer with a most unwanted number after his name.
Having enthralled and infuriated the nation in equal measure since his debut against Moldova in 1996, the midfielder was left out of the first squad named by England's new manager, Fabio Capello, stranding him on 99 caps.
"Goldenballs" is now facing the likelihood that he will never achieve his ambition of joining the elite band of footballers to play 100 times for England. Only four players have reached that target - Sir Bobby Charlton, Peter Shilton, Billy Wright and Sir Bobby Moore - and Beckham had pinned his hopes on a combination of sentiment and a concerted lobbying campaign, by friends in football and the media, leading to perhaps a final, emotional appearance in today's friendly against Switzerland at Wembley.
Sadly, for the former England captain, Capello has reservations about Beckham's fitness, and when he announced the provisional squad of 30 players yesterday there was one name conspicuous by its absence.
The new manager is said to have been perplexed by the player turning up in Brazil this week to launch a soccer academy when he was supposed to be working on his fitness, and Beckham also found time last week for a trip to Sierra Leone in his role as Unicef ambassador. Beckham's hectic schedule has long been a concern for his managers and this time it seems he has scored a significant own goal.
The most controversial omission since, well, the last time, has divided opinion among England supporters. There had been rumblings over the last few days but, even so, it came as a shock within the sport - even Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager who spectacularly fell out with Beckham, had said it "would not be right" to deny his former player 100 caps.
