However, Beckham, who has had to bear his own share of criticism in recent months, was quick to back a man he believes is one of the best in the business.

“I am sure he would love him in his team,” he said. “Michael plays for Real Madrid and he is one of the leading scorers as well for England, and that says it all.

“Michael Owen is one of the best strikers in the world. That is why he does play for a club like Real Madrid, and that is why he needs more respect than that.

“I am not going to criticise their manager, but he is one of the best strikers in the world.”

Alberto’s astonishing attack came after speculation that England and their 29-goal hitman would have a field day on Tyneside following Azerbaijan’s 8-0 humiliation in Poland at the weekend.

That did not materialise as 25-year-old Owen, who had been tipped to match or even beat Malcolm Macdonald’s record of five goals in a single game for his country, saw chance after chance go begging.

However, he later insisted that he had never predicted a personal goal-rush.

“If he (Carlos Alberto) checks my pre-match quotes he will realise that I never said anything about scoring five goals – I would never be so disrespectful.

“He would, though, be perfectly within his rights to criticise my performance. I’ve certainly had better games in an England shirt.

“Fortunately I am a mentally strong person and believe I will learn from the experience and continue to improve as a player and person because of it.”

If Owen’s lack of form was one of the talking points, the other was Beckham’s return to prominence after an ordinary display against Northern Ireland on Saturday.

He turned in a much-improved performance after Manchester United legend George Best questioned his place in the team, and celebrated his 62nd-minute goal. Steven Gerrard had opened the scoring 11 minutes earlier – with some relish.

“It always means a lot to me to score, whether it is for Real Madrid or for England, and it meant a lot because it was an important game, and obviously because of some of the things that have been said after the game at Old Trafford,” he said.

“I tend not to read it and take any notice, but at the end of the day, you have to take the rough with the smooth and it was a smooth game for me and for the whole team.

“I do not listen to it. At the end of the day, I love playing football and once I am out there on the pitch, I can prove that I can play good football.”

Beckham’s evening was marred by a 42nd-minute booking for returning to the pitch after treatment wearing only one boot, but he was delighted to have played his part in a game which maintained his side’s place at the top of Group Six.

“It was a good performance from the team,” he said. “It was frustrating at times, obviously coming in at half-time and having so many chances and still being 0-0.

“But again, like at Old Trafford, we had to stay patient and we knew that we would always score a goal, so we had to carry on pushing them.

“It has been funny in the last two games, where we have gone in at half-time 0-0 and come out in the second half winners. But tonight was important.

“Everyone was expecting us to beat Azerbaijan after their last game 10-0 - that was a couple of shouts – and it was important the players stayed focussed, and we did that.”