'I can't keep up with Romeo!': David Beckham reveals he gets short of breath during early morning runs with 11-year-old

PUBLISHED: 05:17 EST, 11 December 2013 | UPDATED: 08:08 EST, 11 December 2013

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Retired footballer David Beckham has revealed that he struggles to keep up with his 11-year-old son Romeo during their early morning runs.

The 38-year-old made the admission during a chat at the National Football Museum in Manchester with The Times on Tuesday evening.

David, who retired from professional football in May of this year, told of his pride that his second son is showing signs of the same dedication he has when it comes to training.

Hard to keep up: David Beckham revealed Romeo outran him during a chat at the National Football Museum in Manchester on Tuesday evening

He said he told Romeo, who has modelled for Burberry in the past, to be up at six for a run but unsure his son would wake at that hour he asked his wife, Victoria, to set their alarm for half past just in case.

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But he needn’t of worried: ‘At 6am on the dot, I felt a tug on my arm and I heard, 'Daddy, it's time to get up', David said.

‘He's one of those annoying runners who always want to be one step in front of you. We ran three and a half miles and the third mile was the quickest of all of them. I was breathing hard.’

Fighting fit: David has been helping his second son Romeo (centre) train while his oldest Brooklyn (L) hopes to be a footballer

Food for thought: After his talk David went out for dinner with his best pal Dave Gardner in Manchester

Head down: David slung on a baker boy hat as he left Italian restaurant San Carlo

‘He was a step ahead of me the whole way. My drive must have rubbed off on him. I was very proud of him.’

David, who is father to Brooklyn, 14, Romeo, Cruz, 8, and Harper, 2, also shared that he was hoping to bring up his children in the same manner he was by his parents – Sandra and David

He said: ‘I was lucky. My dad pushed me and pushed me, but he gave me a lot of support. Some kids don't react well to that, but I was one of the lucky ones. He'd put an arm round me when it was needed.

Heading home: David and his mate jumped into his Bentley after dinner to head home

Only the best: David was given a parking spot right outside the entrance for his very shinny Bentley

Best spot in the house: David was allowed to park his car right outside the museum

Sport sanctuary: The talk was held at the National Football Museum in Manchester, where David's career began

‘I just like to win, even if it's playing in the garden with my kids. I take it easy on them to a certain point, but they have got to learn to win. They do actually win most of the time, certainly when there are three of them against me. My parents had a great work ethic. It's about sacrifice and dedication.’

Of course the conversation turned to football being at the National Museum Of Football and also the city in which David’s own hugely successful career began.

David revealed that his eldest son Brooklyn was hoping to follow in his his’s footsteps and make a career out of the beautiful game.

Truth be told: David opened up about the realities of being outrun by his young son

And it seems if he does, David will be on hand to guide him and offer support about dealing with the pressures involved.

Reflecting on various difficulties in his own career, such as being sent off in the World Cup in 1998, the Essex born star said:

‘Pressure is going to Afghanistan and fighting. Playing football is fun, simple as that.’

Speaking about the future David revealed that he is planning on creating a new franchise in Major League Soccer – which is the leading club competition in the United States, in which he played for LA Galaxy.

Longer: David's hair once again looked different - this time longer at the back than usual

‘It's a league I think will grow to become one of the biggest in the world,’ he said. ‘I haven't announced where my franchise is going to be yet, but it's something I'm very excited about.’

While he will definitely always be involved in football, it looks unlikely it will be the management side of things.

He said: ‘I'm passionate about coaching kids; but being manager of a team, I don't think that will ever happen.’