England manager Roy Hodgson leads the tributes as David Beckham hangs up his boots for one last time

The former England captain will stop playing at the end of the season

David Beckham called time on his career and Roy Hodgson, the England manager, expressed his hope that the national team had not seen the last of him in some guise or another.

The last of Beckham's 115 England caps came in October 2009 and Hodgson said: "David is a man of many talents and a lot of people now will be wanting him for different jobs and roles, some of which could take him away from us in football. But I'm rather hoping we'll be able to keep him in football because we can really benefit from his experience, we can really benefit from his charisma and we certainly benefit from the magnificent past he has had as a football player."

The Football Association will look to offer Beckham a role within the English game, according to David Bernstein, the FA chairman. Bernstein is keen the FA make future use of someone he described as an "iconic figure in the game", whether it be in an ambassadorial role or something more closely involved with the playing side.

Bernstein said: "He is a real loss to the game and I am sure the FA will want to get him closely associated with the organisation. The FA will look to work with him in the most optimum way."

Beckham was an ambassador for the disastrous England bid to host the 2018 World Cup having previously played a more successful part in London's bid for the 2012 Olympics.

Bernstein also paid tribute to Beckham's contribution to England and English football. He said: "It's unexpected [his retirement] even though he is getting to mature years for a footballer. He is an iconic figure in the game and produced wonderful performances for his clubs, particularly Manchester United. When you look at his playing and work for England, no one would ever accuse him of being unpatriotic and not giving everything for his country. He will be quite a loss to the game."

Steve Martin, chief executive of M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment, said: "His appeal now will shift into different roles.

"He'll have more time on his hands and more time for commercial partners and the brands he can work with.He has also got so many commercial sponsors that will carry on whether he is playing or not."