Jabarkan Kerjaya antarabangsa (1996-kini) dari David Beckham dalam bahasa melayu

Kemunculan pertama Beckham untuk pasukan bola sepak kebangsaan England adalah pada1 September 1996, pada pusingan kelayakan Piala Dunia menentang Moldova. Dia secara automatik menjadi pemain pilihan dalam kelabnya apabila dia membantu United mengekalkan kejuaraan Liga Premier musim 1996–97, dan diundi sebagai PFA Young Player of the Year oleh teman-temannya.

Beckham bermain dalam semua perlawanan pusingan kelayakan untuk Piala Dunia 1998. Dia juga merupakan ahli skuad bila sepak England pada Piala Dunia di Perancis, namun pengurus pasukan ketika itu, Glenn Hoddle menuduhnya sebagai tidak menumpukan perhatiannya pada perlawanan itu. Kerana itu, Beckham tidak bermain dalam dua perlawanan pertama England. Pada perlawanan ketiga, dia terpilih untuk bermain dalam skuad itu dan membuktikan kesungguhannya apabila sepakan percuma jarak jauhnya memberi gol pada England. Perlawanan itu adalah antara England dengan Colombia dan ia berakhir dengan kemenangan 2–0. Gol yang luar biasa itu merupakan gol pertamanya untuk England.

Dalam pertandingan yang sama, pada pusingan kedua, ketika tinggal hanya 16 pasukan sahaja lagi, Beckham mendapat kad merah dalam perlawanan menentang Argentina. Beckham menendang betis Diego Simeone selepas Simeone melakukan faul terhadapnya. Walaupun Simeone, lama selepas kejadian itu terjadi, mengaku bahawa dia dan teman-temannya memang sengaja ingin mengeluarkan Beckham dari padang dengan melebih-lebihkan kesakitan pada betisnya, namun Beckham dikritik teruk selepas itu. Sementelahan England kalah dalam perlawanan itu apabila mereka seri dengan Argentina dan kalah dalam sepakan penalti. Ramai penyokong dan kolumnis sukan menyalahkan Beckham kerana kekalahan itu menggagalkan mereka menjulang piala yang berprestij itu pada tahun tersebut. Surat khabar Daily Mirror menyiarkan satu gambar papan dart dengan mukanya di tengah-tengah papan, manakala sebuah orang-orang menyerupai Beckham telah diletakkan di depan pintu masuk sebuah pub di London. Beckham juga menerima ugutan bunuh dan surat layang selepas peristiwa itu.

Ugutan yang Beckham telah terima daripada para penyokong English meningkat semasa Portugal mengalahkan England 3–2 dalam Euro 2000, sebuah perlawanan dimana Beckham menjaringkan 2 gol, apabila sekumpulan penyokong England mengejek atau menghinanya disepanjang perlawanan. Beckham membalas dengan mengisyaratkan jari tengah-tengah dan, isyarat tersebut dikritik sesetengah pengkritik, kebanyakan akhbar telah menggalakkan para pembaca untuk berhenti daripada menghinanya.

On 15 November 2000, following Kevin Keegan's resignation as England manager in October, Beckham was promoted to team captain by the caretaker manager Peter Taylor, and then kept the role under new manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. He helped England to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals, with their performances including an impressive 5–1 victory over Germany in Munich. The final step in Beckham's conversion from villain to hero happened in England's 2–2 draw against Greece on 6 October, 2001. England needed to win or draw the match in order to qualify outright for the World Cup, but were losing 2–1 with little time remaining. The rest of the England team were playing relatively poorly, and it was Beckham's inspirational performance that lifted his team mates. When Teddy Sheringham was fouled some eight yards outside the Greek penalty area, England were awarded a free-kick and Beckham ensured England's qualification with a curling strike of the kind that had become his trademark. Shortly afterwards, he was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2001. He once again finished runner-up, to Luís Figo of Portugal, for the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

He was partially fit by the time of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and played in the first match against Sweden. Beckham scored the winning goal of the match against Argentina with a penalty, causing Argentina to fail to qualify for the knockout stage. England were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Brazil. The following month, at the opening ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Beckham escorted Kirsty Howard as she presented the Jubilee Baton to the Queen.

Beckham played in all of England's matches at Euro 2004, but the tournament was a disappointment for him. He had a penalty saved in England's 2-1 defeat to France and missed another in a penalty shootout in the quarter final against Portugal. England lost the shootout and went out of the competition.

Beckham became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in January 2005 and was involved in promoting London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. In October 2005, Beckham's sending off against Austria made him the first ever England captain to be sent off and the first (and only) player to be sent off twice while playing for England. He captained England for the 50th time in a friendly international against Argentina the following month.

In England's opening game against Paraguay on 10 June 2006 Beckham's free kick led to an own-goal by Carlos Gamarra, and England won 1-0. In England's next match, played against Trinidad and Tobago on 15 June 2006, Beckham's cross in the 83rd minute led to Peter Crouch's goal, which put England into the lead 1-0. Beckham gave another assist to Steven Gerrard. In the end they won 2-0. He was named Man-of-the-Match by tournament sponsor Budweiser for this game.

During England's second round match against Ecuador, Beckham scored from a free kick in the 59th minute, becoming the first ever English player to score in three World Cups, and giving England a 1-0 victory and a place in the quarter-finals. He was sick before the game and vomited several times as a result of dehydration and illness after he scored the winning goal.

In the quarter-final against Portugal, Beckham was substituted following an injury shortly after half time and the England team went on to lose the match on penalties (3-1), the score having been 0-0 after extra time. After his substitution, Beckham was visibly shaken and emotional for not being able to play, being in tears at one point.

A day after England were knocked out of the World Cup, an emotional Beckham made a statement in a news conference saying that he had stepped down as England captain, saying, "It has been an honour and privilege to captain my country but, having been captain for 58 of my 95  games, I feel the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter a new era under Steve McClaren". (Beckham had actually won 94 caps up to that point.) He was succeeded by Chelsea captain John Terry.

Having stepped down as captain after the World Cup, Beckham was dropped completely from the England national team selected by new coach Steve McClaren on 11 August 2006. McClaren claimed that he was "looking to go in a different direction" with the team, and that Beckham "wasn't included within that". McClaren said Beckham could be recalled in future. Shaun Wright-Phillips, Kieran Richardson and the World Cup alternative to Beckham, Aaron Lennon, were all included, although McClaren eventually opted to employ Steven Gerrard in that role.

On 26 May 2007, Steve McClaren announced that Beckham would be recalled to the England squad for the first time since stepping down as their captain. Beckham started against Brazil in England's first match at the new Wembley Stadium and put in a positive performance. In the second half he set up England's goal converted by captain John Terry. It looked as though England would claim victory over Brazil, but newcomer Diego equalised in the dying seconds. In England's next match, a Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia, Beckham sent two trademark assists for Michael Owen and Peter Crouch, helping England to prevail 3-0.

Beckham had assisted in three of England's four total goals in those two games, and he stated his desire to continue to play for England after his move to the MLS.

On 22 August 2007, Beckham played in a friendly for England against Germany, becoming the first ever to play for England while with a non-European club team. On 21 November 2007, Beckham earned his 99th cap against Croatia, setting up a goal for Peter Crouch to tie the game at 2-2. Following the 2-3 loss, England failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 Finals. Despite this, Beckham said that he has no plans to retire from international football and wants to continue playing for the national team.