TRINIDAD coach Leo Beenhakker has launched a savage attack on England after comparing them to Real Madrid’s army of superstars because they never win trophies.

And Beenhakker’s assistant Wim Rijsbergen has also turned up the heat ahead of Thursday’s Group B showdown by saying David Beckham is better at selling shirts than winning matches.

Dutchman Beenhakker had two spells in charge of Real Madrid and he claims his team of Caribbean misfits will deliver one of the biggest World Cup shocks by beating England.

He said: “England have great players but they don’t win tournaments and you have to ask yourself why.

“It’s like Real Madrid. You can have all of the stars in the world but if you cannot play as a team then the stars do not matter.”

Rijsbergen was even more scathing about England’s Real Madrid star Beckham who has made the Spanish club a huge commercial success but they have not won a trophy since he arrived.

The Trinidad and Tobago No.2 said it was “scary” the FA’s sponsors are rumoured to want to know whether Beckham will remain captain.

“It’s very scary when the FA sponsors want to know who the new captain is,” he said.

“If they want to choose the captain, Jesus Christ!

“Beckham is just a commercial player.

“If you see how he plays in Madrid, he doesn’t carry Madrid.

“He doesn’t make a difference.

“Commercial-wise he is very good to have in your team.

“But he does not do enough on the pitch for the team.”

Rijsbergen also branded England boss Sven Goran Eriksson “naive” for falling for the fake Sheikh newspaper sting which has led to him standing down after the World Cup.

“It was not a very smart move but it was a human thing and an easy mistake to make,” he said.

Yet Rijsbergen insists Eriksson’s loyalty towards Beckham and Michael Owen may still be rewarded.

But he fears it is Frank Lampard who could wreck Trinidad’s World Cup fairytale.

Rijsbergen said: “The English people have to see that Eriksson is a great coach, one of the best in the world and the key behind his success is that the players trust him.

“They trust him because he doesn’t change the team. Even when Owen and Beckham were not at the top of their game, he still picked them.

“That is why the players stay loyal to him.

“Owen and Rooney are a class apart from the rest of England’s strikers.

“They are world-class and two of the best in Europe.

“But Lampard is my favourite midfield player in the world -- he runs back and forth, scores great goals.
“He does a lot more, for me, in games than Steven Gerrard.”

TnT was boosted by its remarkable 0-0 draw with Sweden which put England in pole position in Group B.

But the cocky comments were certain to wind-up England ahead of Thursday’s clash in Nuremberg.

Midfielder Aurtis Whitley insists his display against Mexico proves he is better than Beckham.

Whitley said: “I know I am as good as Beckham, you saw that against Mexico and I will prove it against England.”

Former Manchester United striker Yorke has also been texting old teammate Beckham ahead of the first meeting between the nations.

Yorke said: “It was very noisy on the way back from Saturday’s game for hours.

“It feels even better today.”

It was Yorke who blocked the appointment of his former Aston Villa boss Ron Atkinson to the Trinidad post after his racist outburst on air, which in turn led to Beenhakker’s appointment.

Controversial TTFF Advisor president Jack Warner had also warned England it was about to be struck down after predicting another stroke of good luck for his nation.

His predictions were revealed by Liverpool-based agent Mike Berry, who looks after most of the Trinidad squad and describes himself as the John Candy character from the film Cool Runnings about the Jamaican bobsleigh heroes.

Berry said: “Warner predicted three things -- that Trinidad would qualify for the World Cup, beat Mexico and then England.

“Two have come right and now we can’t wait for England!”