David Beckham will crown his glittering international career by spearheading Great Britain’s Olympic football challenge at the London Games.

Sportsmail can reveal that the Leytonstone-born England icon is included in the Great Britain squad Stuart Pearce will submit to FIFA, ending fevered speculation over his participation.

Although Pearce still has to whittle down today’s shortlist of 35 to a final 18-man squad by July 6, it is unimaginable given his status and profile that Beckham will be discarded at the last moment.

London dream: David Beckham has been chosen in Stuart Pearce's 35-man Olympic squad

Beckham, 37, has made no secret of his desire to represent his country in the city of his birth — a contrast to the rest of the Home Nations and several club managers who objected to the notion of a Great Britain team.

However, Beckham’s inclusion will be derided by his critics, who believe his place owes more to celebrity status and the need to shift tickets than pure football reasons.

Pearce, though, has insisted on selecting his squad on his own terms, with both the British Olympic Association and Lord Coe’s organising committee, Locog, claiming they have brought no pressure to bear on behalf of the man who helped London win the Games.

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