Beckham reveals heartbreak at sons' fear they'll be endlessly compared

David Beckham has revealed his heartbreak at the possibility his children won’t pursue professional football careers because of their famous dad.

The 40-year-old retired striker said he wanted his kids to play sport for the enjoyment in an interview with ABC News in the US.

“I am a soccer dad, you know I do drop-offs, pick-ups,” he said.

“And there was one thing that, one of my boys turned around to me the other day and he said, ‘Daddy, I’m not sure I wanna play football all the time.

“It broke my heart a little bit, because he said, every time I step onto the field, I know that people are saying, ‘This is David Beckham’s son’, and if I’m not as good as you then he’s not good enough.”

The former English team captain Beckham, who began his 20-year professional career with Manchester United and finished with Paris Saint-Germain, said he only wanted his kids to play if they actually wanted to.

“And I said, ok, stop right there, you know. You play because you want to play, you play because it makes you happy,” he said.

Beckham and his wife, singer and fashion designer Victoria, have four children – sons Brooklyn, 16, Romeo, 13, Cruz, 10, and four-year-old daughter Harper.

Earlier this year, Brooklyn was released by English Premier League club Arsenal after failing to earn a scholarship deal.