Victoria Beckham gives birth to third son, Cruz

MADRID - British pop singer Victoria Beckham, the wife of England soccer captain David Beckham, has given birth to their third son, Cruz.

The baby boy was born by caesarean section a week early in a hospital in Madrid, where David Beckham plays his club football.

"We've got a baby boy. His name is Cruz," a beaming David Beckham told reporters outside the hospital.

"He is beautiful. He is in there with his brothers now and he is very happy."

The Beckhams, Britain's highest-profile celebrity couple, already have two children, Brooklyn, 5, and Romeo, 2.

The couple's relationship came under close scrutiny in 2004 following tabloid allegations that David Beckham had had an affair with his personal assistant Rebecca Loos -- a claim the midfielder dismissed as "ludicrous".

David Beckham joined Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2003 to become one of the world's highest paid football players.

Victoria, who achieved fame as "Posh Spice" with the pop group The Spice Girls, initially refused to relocate to Spain because she wanted to pursue her solo singing career in Britain but later changed her mind.

- REUTERS