David Beckham will miss the World Cup and most if not all the Los Angeles Galaxy season after tearing his left Achilles' tendon Sunday while playing for AC Milan.

His international career for England is all but over. It remains to be seen how much he'll have left for the Galaxy and Major League Soccer.

"He will miss the World Cup for sure," a person familiar with the injury told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made. The person said it was likely the 34-year-old midfielder will play again.

Beckham was injured without getting hit during AC Milan's 1-0 Italian League win over Chievo Verona.

With only a few minutes remaining and the score 0-0, Beckham was by himself with the ball at his feet, shifted his weight and reached a hand down to his left heel. Beckham then stood up and snapped his wrists like he was breaking a twig in half in a gesture to show the AC Milan bench he knew the tendon was broken.

Visibly in pain and in tears, Beckham went to the sideline for medical attention, leaving Milan a man short because it had made all three substitutions.

"He felt the muscle begin to come up, which is a typical symptom when you break an Achilles' tendon," Milan coach Leonardo told Sky. "This is a real blow."

Sky reported that Beckham said, 'It's broken, it's broken," when he came off.

Club physician Jean Pierre Meersseman told Italy's Sky TV that Beckham will fly to Finland, where he will be treated by specialist surgeon Dr. Sakari Orava."He'll go to Finland tomorrow and will be operated on probably tomorrow afternoon or Tuesday morning," Meersseman said.

While Beckham has not been a regular in the England starting lineup recently, he was likely to make the World Cup squad.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star was on his second loan stint to AC Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy as he tried to boost his chances of making coach Fabio Capello's 23-man World Cup squad. With no chance to play in the World Cup, his international career is likely over after 17 goals and 115 appearances, second highest number of England caps behind only goalkeeper Peter Shilton's 125.

Beckham, who was England's captain from November 2000 through the 2006 World Cup, had been due back with the Galaxy after the World Cup in South Africa.

"He'll probably be out for five or six months," AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani told Sky. "I saw him really suffering. In the changing room I hugged him and told him that if he wants he can join us next year, too."

It was yet another blow for Major League Soccer, already facing the threat of a players' strike ahead of the season opener on March 25. Beckham is the league's highest-paid player with a $32.5 million, five-year contract and its biggest draw.

"We just received the information about David's unfortunate injury," MLS commissioner Don Garber said. "We wish him a speedy recovery."

Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said it was too early to tell exactly how long Beckham will be out. He didn't want to discuss the impact the injury would have on Los Angeles' season. He wouldn't blame the injury on the loan.

"Players get hurt whether they're on loan or not," he said. "Injuries are unfortunately part of the game."

Capello and his England assistant Franco Baldini spoke with Beckham on the telephone to offer best wishes, according to British news agency The Press Association.

In April 2002, Beckham broke a bone in his left foot during a European Champions League game against Spain's Deportivo La Coruna. His injury and recovery were front-page news to fixated England fans.

England fell short in the 2002 World Cup and yet again in 2006, still hoping for its first title since 1966.

Beckham returned Sunday to AC Milan's starting lineup after Wednesday's 4-0 Champions League loss at Manchester United, his first match at Old Trafford against his old club since he left after the 2002-03 season. Beckham was treated Sunday for a deep cut to his right cheek following a collision early in the first half.

With the game scoreless, Beckham nearly scored in the 84th, but Chievo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino stopped his close-range effort.

"Beckham came here because he wanted to help Milan return to the top and he was looking to get a jersey for the national team and participate in the World Cup," Milan defender Gianluca Zambrotta said. "If other victories come, there will surely be a dedication for David Beckham."

Sunday's win moved Milan within one point of Serie A leader Inter Milan with 10 games remaining.

LaDainian Tomlinson(notes) is bolting for the Big Apple.Tomlinson’s agent, Tom Condon, said Sunday that the New York Jets signed the former Chargers running back to a two-year contract. The Jets confirmed that they have agreed to a deal, adding the aging star to the NFL’s top-ranked rushing offense last season. “He wanted to go to a team that he thought had a chance to compete for the championship,” Condon told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “He wanted to go somewhere where he had a chance to have a significant role, and so with the Jets he also was going to be very familiar with the offensive system.”

The Jets reached the AFC championship game last season, eliminating Tomlinson and the Chargers along the way.

The 2006 NFL MVP, cut last month by San Diego, chose New York over Minnesota after visiting the Vikings on Thursday. Tomlinson spent Friday with the Jets, capping it with dinner with coach Rex Ryan, general manager Mike Tannenbaum and other team officials.

The Jets went after Tomlinson hard even though he turns 31 in June, is coming off his least productive season and there are questions whether he has much left. New York apparently still saw plenty to like from Tomlinson, who ranks eighth on the NFL’s career rushing list with 12,490 yards, and gave him a deal worth about $5.2 million.

Once one of the NFL’s most dynamic players, Tomlinson is expected to back up second-year running back Shonn Greene(notes), who emerged in his rookie season and made Thomas Jones(notes) expendable. Jones signed with Kansas City last week after running for a career-high 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Tomlinson was welcomed to the Jets by several of his new teammates on Twitter, including left tackle Damien Woody(notes), defensive endMike DeVito(notes) and All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis(notes).

“Good move by the organization,” Revis tweeted. “I couldn’t be more excited about this.”

Added Woody: “LaDainian running behind our line … I think he’ll put up better numbers than people think.”

Former Chargers teammate Antonio Cromartie(notes), acquired by the Jets before the trade deadline on March 4, said: “Congrats to my homie L.T.”

The Jets were already selling Tomlinson jerseys on their official Web site within minutes of announcing the deal. The $80 green and white replicas are without a jersey number for now; third-year cornerbackDwight Lowery(notes) currently wears Tomlinson’s familiar No. 21.

Tomlinson ran for 730 yards—his first season under 1,000—on 223 carries for an average of 3.3 yards per carry, all career lows. He scored 12 touchdowns, but his role was reduced in an offense that shifted its focus to quarterback Philip Rivers(notes) and the passing game.

He’s still regarded as an excellent route runner and superb receiver, two qualities that made him attractive to both New York and Minnesota.

Tomlinson is the latest high-profile player to be signed, drafted or acquired by the Jets in the last few years, joining Cromartie, Brett Favre(notes), Kris Jenkins(notes), Mark Sanchez(notes), Bart Scott(notes) and Braylon Edwards(notes).

With the Jets moving into the new Meadowlands Stadium, the 82,500-seat, $1.6 billion home they’ll share with the Giants, Tomlinson’s star power could potentially help the team sell more personal seat licenses.

More than that, though, New York hopes Tomlinson’s contributions on the field are greater. While he likely won’t be the focal point of the offense, as he had been for so many years with the Chargers—a role he has said he’s OK with—the Jets are hoping he can still be a dangerous presence with the ball in his hands.

He’s also familiar with the Jets’ style of offense and coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who was San Diego’s quarterbacks coach from 2002-05. The Jets have Sanchez returning for a second season, along with a solid offensive line that helped pave the way for New York to average a league-leading 172.2 yards on the ground per game.

Those factors might have helped the Jets beat out the Vikings for Tomlinson’s services. While Minnesota was also just a game away from the Super Bowl, the uncertainty surrounding Favre’s return might have caused Tomlinson to hesitate about signing with the Vikings.

Tomlinson met with Minnesota team officials Thursday, but left for the New York area without a deal. He then spent all of Friday with the Jets—touring the team’s facility and the new stadium—before returning home to San Diego to mull his options on Saturday.

He was drafted with the fifth overall pick in 2001 out of TCU, and immediately became a star as he helped the Chargers become a perennial playoff contender. His 138 career touchdowns rushing rank second in NFL history, and his 153 total touchdowns rank third.

AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson in San Diego and AP Football Writer Barry Wilner contributed to this report.