David Beckham insisted he has never taken his England place for granted after making a triumphant comeback in Friday's 1-1 draw with Br azil at the new Wembley.
The Real Madrid star marked his first appearance for his country in 11 months by setting up skipper John Terry's 68th minute opener with a trademark free-kick only for Diego to equalize in injury-time.
Beckham brought an authority to the right side of midfield which has been lacking and his testing crosses and dead-ball skills were a welcome addition to Steve McClaren's side.
One hundred caps is now back on the horizon for Beckham after he clocked up number 95 but he is adamant he has always had to perform to earn the right to play for his country.
"I have never taken playing for England for granted. I have always felt I have had to play for my place. That should be the case regardless of who you are," Beckham said. ""You have got to play for your place, earn the right to wear the shirt, and I have always done that in every team I have played for during my career "
"I'm just going to take each game as it comes "
Beckham was given a tumultuous reception when he was substituted with 13 minutes remaining from the 88,000 fans watching the international side at the new Wembley for the first time.
"It was such an historical night for all of England and it was great to be out there " Beckham said. "It is always nice to have the support of the fans and I have had that throughout my career "
"It was amazing out there for me. I was happy to have been part of such an historical occasion. It was good to be back in the England squad and it was nice to be with the team and just be part of the set-up again "
Beckham believes England needs a similar performance against Estonia in Wednesday's vital Euro qualifier in Tallinn.
"It is going to be different for us playing against Estonia but we need a similar kind of performance and we need the three points which is the most important thing " Beckham said. "We have to win. We have to go into the game with the same attitude we showed against Br azil. Wednesday is the big one and one we are preparing for "
Goalkeeper Paul Robinson welcomed the return of Beckham and striker Michael Owen, who was also playing his first full international since the World Cup when he damaged knee ligaments.
"Having Beckham and Owen back is a massive boost " Robinson said. "There were good performances from both of them and a positive performance from the team. " Beckham did very well. He created the goal for us, created more chances and it's good to have him back."
Midfielder Frank Lampard echoed Robinson's sentiments.
" Becks did very well. It is how he has been playing for his club and how we know David Beckham can play," Lampard said. "He has always got that killer ball he can put in from free-kicks which can make a goal."