"In my eyes at least I had been successful. It took me about six weeks to get over that press conference.

"I had decided six months earlier to quit - but it got to me so much. I was physically sick afterwards.

"When I got back to the room Victoria tried to console me, but I was so upset I was sick."

Beckham insists that he took the decision to step down almost six months before the finals in Germany.

"I had decided around Christmas that whatever happened in the World Cup I would quit as captain," he told The Mirror.

"If we'd gone all the way and won the tournament it would have been an incredible end to my captaincy.

"I didn't want to walk away from my country - but I just felt it was the right time for someone else to take over.

"I don't feel guilty at all about my own performances in Germany, despite what a lot of people have said and written.

"There is always going to be a scapegoat when England fall at a major tournament, and unfortunately a couple of times that scapegoat has been me.

"I wouldn't change any of it for the world, because six years as England captain is the biggest honour I have had

"But it does mean you get singled out for criticism when things go wrong. It is tough to take sometimes."

The Real Madrid ace, who scored his first goal of the season in Sunday's 2-0 win over Real Sociedad, says he is delighted for his successor as England skipper John Terry.

"I'm chuffed for JT, because he's a player and a captain who deserves to be in the position he is," he said.

"I have spoken to JT a couple of times and told him that if he needs to discuss anything I'm always at the other end of the phone.

"I will always support the lads, because they are great lads."