Becks 'pilgrims' follow his trail

Devotees of English soccer captain David Beckham have a new way to worship their hero -- a "pilgrims' trail" around his humble London roots.

Taking advantage of his global fame, a local council has created the "Beckham Trail" including his birthplace, his school and the playing fields where he first learnt his trade.

"We've had a huge amount of interest from all over the world. People are fascinated by him and want to see where it all started," said Waltham Forest council spokeswoman Emma Joy.

Many tourists walking the two-hour trail in an otherwise unremarkable northeast London suburb are Japanese, no doubt inspired by Beckham and his pop star wife Victoria's hard work promoting their image and products in Asia.

Visitors from Spain, where Beckham currently plays for Real Madrid, have also shown a healthy interest, the council said.

"David Beckham was born on 2nd May 1975 at Whipps Cross Hospital maternity unit and lived as a young boy in a terraced house in nearby Leytonstone," the trail guide starts.

Other highlights include Walthamstow stadium "where David worked as a 10 pound a night glass collector on greyhound race nights" and Larkswood Park "where he played with his dad, spending hours perfecting his now legendary free kick."

Beckham has not endorsed the trail, but is not unhappy about it either. "It's quite flattering, of course," a spokesman said.

"Granted, it's not quite Bethlehem," was the verdict of one British newspaper that dispatched a reporter on the trail.

"But for true believers from every corner of the planet, the Beckham Trail is fast becoming the holy land of the modern western world," the tongue in cheek Daily Mail added.

England's most famous celebrity couple are suffering a backlash from media after allegations of extra-marital affairs against Beckham have tarnished his once squeaky-clean image.

The mega-rich pair, who have three boys, said this week they were planning to sue an ex-nanny over the latest allegations.