Thieves steal Beckham statue from a garden in central England

LONDON: Thieves have stolen a bronze statue of David Beckham from a garden in central England.

Police said on Tuesday that the 90-centimetre (3-foot) statue, valued at about 400 pounds (US$800), was taken in recent days from the front garden of a house outside Birmingham. The statue shows the soccer player standing with his foot on a ball.

Beckham, who returned to England's national team last month after being dropped from the squad following the World Cup, is expected to make his Los Angeles Galaxy debut on Saturday.

He left Real Madrid after helping the team win the Spanish league title last month - his first major title with the team.

Beckham also played for Manchester United and won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League title before moving to Madrid in 2003.