In his Southampton farewell video, there was a clip of a teenage James Ward-Prowse revealing two career aims: to get a scholarship with the Saints and to play for England. Internally, there was another dream – and that was to be David Beckham.
Not similar to David Beckham, or close to David Beckham. To actually be him.
“I copied a few of his hairstyles along the way,” the midfielder tells Sky Sports about his childhood days. “I went for the mohican, the grade two all over.”
The midfielder’s long-term association with Beckham through free-kick-taking has been long known and talked about. But the link between the pair went up a notch when Ward-Prowse took the No 7 shirt at new club West Ham, following his £30m move from Southampton.
Needless to say that the 28-year-old has been wearing that number on his back for years given his long-term fandom of Beckham.
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After admitting that Beckham was his hero and the reason he picked number seven at West Ham, we look at some of the stunning free-kicks from Ward-Prowse and Beckham
“To emulate him in that way with the No 7 is a good opportunity as he was someone I emulated growing up in the garden,” Ward-Prowse says when asked about his new squad number and its link to his childhood hero.
“It was just in general, the way that he was. I would watch his game on the TV live and I would be straight out in the garden trying to perfect it, shouting ‘Beckham’!
“It was the classic Mum calling you in for dinner but I wanted to keep practicing. And I smashed a few greenhouses along the way!
“But it’s all been worth it -…