Soccer star David Beckham will be forced to miss the World Cup this year due to a surgery on his injured Achilles’ tendon. Beckham was injured during the last minutes of the AC Milan versus Chievo Verona game on Sunday. Beckham, 34, flew to Finland after the game to have surgery on the torn tendon by one of the world’s best specialists.

The surgery on Beckham’s tendon took about one hour to complete and the procedure was very successful. Dr. Sakari Orava, the surgeon who performed the surgery, said, “He is recovering fine, he has been walking with crutches. He can move around a little bit more every day.” While the surgery was a complete success and Beckham is recovering quite well, he will unfortunately have to miss the World Cup on June 11.

When Beckham leaves the hospital in Turku, Finland with wife Victoria Beckham by his side, it is not known where he will go to recuperate. The surgeon suggested that Beckham should avoid a long flight over the Atlantic Ocean for two to three days following the surgery, but even if he does choose to fly immediately after leaving the hospital, Orava said, “The risk is small.”