By Laura Williamson

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Kick it: David Beckham is still a fans' favourite

Kick it: David Beckham is still a fans' favourite

Anyone who was at Wembley last Saturday could not fail to understand why David Beckham had to be in Great Britain's Olympic football team at London 2012.

The wall of noise, the palpable sense of excitement, that greeted the mere mention of his name is something only Beckham can generate.

It would be madness to be so straight-laced, stuck up and, well, British about it that we overlooked our global superstar.

We have seen where 'football reasons' have got us in the last few weeks, but Stuart Pearce's task was not to pick the best 18 eligible players based on statistics and somehow hope they can all make a go of it next month. He was asked to pick a squad capable of winning a gold medal.

Pearce has recognised that, and while the incredible midfield engine is not what it once was, Beckham's game has adapted and moved on. He hasn't been messing about in the garden with his kids in LA since leaving England almost a decade ago.

He has been winning titles in Spain and the US, a physical league with lots of young players.

He is still a brilliant passer of the ball and lethal at set-pieces but he also brings those intangible but invaluable qualities: experience, leadership and a winning mentality.

And - shock horror - he is passionate about playing for Great Britain. I am sick of unspectacular footballers turning their backs on international duty out of some misguided sense of their own importance.

Hometown hero: Beckham is set to star in London

Hometown hero: Beckham is set to star in London

If you are lucky enough to be picked, you play. And Beckham desperately wants to represent his country, even if it would have been a lot easier just to walk away.

'Legacy' is the watchword of these Games and Beckham's involvement gives Olympic football the chance to reach out to so many - not just here but around the world. Without him, the men's football  competition was in danger of limping along from a British perspective. 

A manager overlooked by England in charge of a team only one of the home nations wanted in a tournament many do not believe should even be included in the Olympics. But with Becks in the mix, things suddenly feel a lot different.