'To say we feel blessed is an understatement': David Beckham pays touching tribute to son Brooklyn as he and Victoria wish their first born child a Happy 18th Birthday

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He was the first of their four children together, born just a few months before their wedding at Luttrellstown Castle. 

So it is no wonder that Saturday was an exciting day for doting parents David and Victoria Beckham, as their son Brooklyn reached the milestone age of 18. 

Taking to their Instagram pages on the special day, the former footballer and the designer were quick to post a number of gushing posts about their son with fans - admitting they are 'blessed' to have such a 'driven' and 'talented' son.

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Milestone: David and Victoria Beckham took to their social media pages on Saturday to post a number of gushing posts and videos wishing their son Brooklyn a Happy 18th Birthday

David, 41, was first to kick off the birthday honours early on Saturday morning as he shared a sweet snap of his younger self, clad in a vest, cradling Brooklyn as a newborn.

Clearly emotional at the fact that his son has now grown up, the former LA Galaxy star wrote to fans:  'So on this day 18 years ago this little man came into our lives.... To say we felt blessed is an understatement.

Reminiscing on Brooklyn's days as a baby, the sportsman continued jokingly: 'From day one he never slept through the night the only way he would fall asleep is when I took him out in the car and it had to be BoyZone on the radio and he would drop right off....'

Memories: Victoria, 42 - shared a huge selection of adorable childhood photos of Brooklyn by compiling them into a 13-second video collage (above)

Happy: The video included a number of snaps of Brooklyn posing with both of his parents (above)

Family affair: Also included in the video were photos of him and his sibling Romeo - following in their father's footsteps by sporting football gear - and a number of holiday snaps

Stylish: Other snaps saw a young Brooklyn beginning to establish his now trendy style in a Burberry top (L) as well as fond memories of him playing at their family home (R)

'Thank fully he now sleeps the whole night without needing a song ...'

Paying sweet tribute to his son, who he is now seen spending most days with at an array of public events, David continued proudly: 'Brooklyn has gone from this beautiful baby boy to become this handsome , polite and driven young man .. I'm proud that he lived through my career with me and I'm even prouder about the person that he has become.

He wrapped up his ode with a witty hint for his son to finally treat his father now he's an adult, by adding: 'Happy birthday Bust you can now officially take dad for a drink down the pub X ❤ @brooklynbeckham @victoriabeckham'

Animal lover: The video also featured plenty of photos of Brooklyn posing alongside a number of animals in his youth

Big day: The former Spice Girl captioned the collage video: 'I can't believe our baby is 18 today. We are all so proud and love u so much @brooklynbeckham x Happy Birthday Buster x Lots and lots of love x'

The photo received close to 900,000 likes in just four hours, and was soon swarmed with well wishes and brirthday messages from fans. 

Joining the fray later on was mother Victoria, 42 - who shared a huge selection of adorable childhood photos of Brooklyn by compiling them into a 13-second video collage. 

The selection featured the youngster posing with both his mum and dad on an array of their luxurious holidays, as well as plenty of solo shots of him playing in the pool and with animals in his youth. 

With the clip ending on a sweet photo of a bikini-clad Victoria holding her first born in her arms against a stunning beach backdrop, the former Spice Girl added text on top of the photo which read: 'Happy 18th birthday Brooklyn, we love you x' 

Like father like son: Meanwhile David, clearly emotional at the fact that his son has now grown up, wrote to fans on his own Instagram: 'So on this day 18 years ago this little man came into our lives.... To say we felt blessed is an understatement'

Overwhelmed: Paying sweet tribute to his son, who he is now seen spending most days with (R), David took to his page to write: 'Brooklyn has gone from this beautiful boy to become this handsome, polite and driven young man ..'

Looking back: Reminiscing on Brooklyn's days as a baby, the sportsman continued jokingly: 'From day one he never slept through the night the only way he would fall asleep is when I took him out in the car and it had to be BoyZone on the radio....'

Mirroring his father's sentiments, the brunette proceeded to write next to the post : 'I can't believe our baby is 18 today. We are all so proud and love u so much @brooklynbeckham xHappy Birthday Buster x Lots and lots of love x'

Not stopping there, Victoria then shared a second photo of Brooklyn to her page for fans, which saw the budding photographer hilariously holding up his guns and pouting at a tender age.  

She added proudly in one final tribute: 'I can't believe our baby boy is 18 today x The most beautiful,caring,talented young man.We are so proud and love you so much x xxxxx' 

Happy birthday son: He wrapped up his ode with a witty hint for his son to finally treat his father now he's an adult, by adding: 'Happy birthday Bust you can now officially take dad for a drink down the pub X ❤ @brooklynbeckham @victoriabeckham'

The birthday messages had actually begun 24 hours before the big day on Friday - with David and Beckham uploaded further sweet pictures of Brooklyn, with the sportsman joking: 'As you can imagine I have many photos to post!' 

It is no wonder David, who also shares Romeo, 14, Cruz, twelve, and five-year-old Harper with his wife, became so emotional upon realisation of how much his first son has grown up - having only been 24 himself when he was born.

The couple welcomed Brooklyn in March 1999, just four months before their star-studded wedding at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland - where the infant served as a ring bearer. 

Last year, Brooklyn enjoyed a swanky birthday with his close pals, including Noel Gallagher's daughter Anais, at London's Heddon Street Kitchen - and this year the festivities are set to be even bigger as he celebrates his coming of age. 

All grown up: Not stopping there, Victoria then shared a second photo of Brooklyn (R) to her page for fans, which saw the budding photographer hilariously holding up his guns and pouting at a tender age (L) 

Family is everything: It is no wonder David, who also shares Romeo, 14, Cruz, twelve, and five-year-old Harper with his wife, became so emotional upon realisation of how much his first son has grown up - having only been 24 himself when he was born

Not bothered: In a recent interview however, Brooklyn admitted that his parents' fame had gone over his head as a youngster - meaning his upbringing had felt relatively normal

In a recent interview with Wonderland however, Brooklyn admitted that his parents' fame had gone over his head as a youngster - meaning his upbringing had felt relatively normal.

He admitted: 'I didn't actually know that they (his parents) were big until I was about 13. 'I went to a football game and people were shouting my dad's name and I was like, "What?! Oh my God. I don't look at them like that." 

Meanwhile, the budding photographer has hopefully been able to ditch his arm sling for his big day, after breaking his collarbone last month in a snowboarding accident during a family skiing holiday in Whistler, Canada.

The teen had uploaded a video to his Instagram showing the moment he painfully snapped the bone while snowboarding across a fast run, featuring a number of small jumps. 

The nose of his board was seen getting caught in the snow, causing him to tumble over and crash onto the floor - before he shared an image of his X-Ray, displaying the broken bone, to his social media a few hours later. 

Time to celebrate: Last year, Brooklyn enjoyed a swanky birthday with his close pals, including Noel Gallagher's daughter Anais, at London's Heddon Street Kitchen - and this year the festivities are set to be even bigger as he celebrates his coming of age with his family (above)