Olympics 2012: David Beckham Surprisingly Left Off GB Squad

David Beckham was shockingly cut from Great Britain's Olympic soccer team on Thursday.

The 37-year-old was considered a near certainty to play for his home country in the London Olympic Games, but was cut from the final roster by manager Stuart Pearce.

Losing a chance to play in front of his home city of London was a major blow for Beckham.

Everyone knows how much playing for my country has always meant to me, Beckham said. So I would have been honored to be part of this unique Team GB squad. Naturally I am very disappointed, but there will be no bigger supporter of the team than me. And like everyone, I will be hoping they can win the gold.

The exclusion of Beckham also surprised Olympic officials, who expected him to serve as both a player and an Olympic ambassador.

The Olympic squad is made up mostly of under-23 players, but each squad gets three overage exceptions. Many expected Beckham to earn one of those spots for his distinguished career with the national squad, but Pearce opted to go with Micah Richards, Ryan Giggs, and Craig Bellamy instead.