76189-56BMW worker Cruz Fernandes may be past his best on the pitch but he is proud to share the same name as the son of one of the world's most famous footballers.

After the 50-year-old heard David Beckham had given his third son the same forename he was besieged by calls from the media because he is one of only a handful of people in Britain's exclusive Cruz club.

The tabloid press have informed the world that the name is girly but Mr Fernandes, a father-of-two, disputes that it is anything but macho.

"I've always been proud of my name and possibly a little more now," he said.

"It's a very good name for a young boy. It's a rare name so I was pleased to hear it had been chosen as the name for David's son."

And Mr Fernandes, who works at Swindon Pressings in Stratton St Margaret, said he knows more men who share the same name.

"When I started at BMW, I wasn't the only Cruz in my workplace," he said. "There was another man also from Goa who was called Cruz as well."

Mr Fernandes, who lives with his wife Celia, 42, in Plymouth Street, Swindon, owes his name to his Portuguese ancestry.

The word, as in Spanish, means cross, appropriate for the son of one of the best wingers in the sport.

Swindon's own Cruz was born in Goa, India, a Portuguese colony at the time, lived in Lisbon, and ended up in England five years ago.

Although an avid Arsenal fan, he said he has always admired the England international.

"David Beckham is very good," he said.

"He is a fine man who is very nice and jovial. I hope his son becomes a good player as well.

"My family thinks it's wonderful that he has been given the same name."

The latest addition to the Beckham family was born at 9.40am on Sunday by Caesarean section weighing 7lbs 2oz. David and Victoria have two other sons, Brooklyn, five, and Romeo, two.

Bookmakers William Hill said that nobody managed to guess the name of the baby, adding that the closest anyone got was Santa.

Bookies are offering odds of 100/1 that baby Cruz will one day play for England, 500/1 that two sons will play for England, 1000/1 that all three will represent their country and 10,000-1 that they will all play for Spain.

Ben Payne