Rio Ferdinand is the latest in a long list of England skippers who have not been able to perform at the World Cup because of injuries <table style="width: 150px; height: 172px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="150" align="right" border="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img alt="" src="/imagedata/2010/jun/Ferdinand.jpg" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr> <td> Injury has forced Ferdinand out of WC</td></tr></tbody></table>Fabio Capello will spend the next 24 hours contemplating how to fortify his defence after Rio Ferdinand was struck by the curse of England's World Cup captains. Capello and company had been in South Africa for only a day when Ferdinand suffered ligament damage to his left knee in the final minutes of the squad's training session. It was a hammer blow to Capello as the England coach saw his skipper limp out of the tournament in the most innocuous circumstances following a routine challenge. Yet it is not the first time an England captain has been injured on World Cup duty. In 1982 Kevin Keegan was limited to only a 26-minute cameo due to a back problem and four years later, Bryan Robson was forced out of the tournament in Mexico after injuring a shoulder in his country's second group game. Robson fared little better at Italia '90 as an Achilles injury left him languishing on the sidelines. David Beckham at least took part in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, but he suffered injuries in both tournaments that restricted his performances. Now, with England's World Cup opener against the US a week away, Ferdinand is the latest captain to give Capello a major headache.

Beckenbauer pessimistic about Germany's chances at the World Cup

Rio Ferdinand is the latest in a long list of England skippers who have not been able to perform at the World Cup because of injuries

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