Beckham: We can win in 2004

David Beckham said today that the England squad is good enough to win the 2004 European Championship.

And the England captain urged Sven-Goran Eriksson to keep the squad together for the tournament in Portugal.

Martin Keown has already announced his international retirement and Teddy Sheringham and David Seaman are considering their futures, but Beckham believes the players who competed in the World Cup can go on to win a major trophy.

He said: "My biggest hope is that this team can stay together for a good while yet. You have to believe me when I tell you there is so much going for us. We believe we can win Euro 2004. There is so much talent and desire in this squad that the 2006 World Cup in Germany has to be a genuine target for us as well.

"I honestly felt that we would have won the World Cup if we had managed to get past Brazil in our quarterfinal. That wasn't to be but there's always a next time.

"There is such a strong bond between every one of the players that it is just unbelievable. Our spirit is unshakeable, our belief in each other is rock solid."