A PROUD dad today spoke of the moment soccer superstar David Beckham was left holding his baby and said: "He's obviously a great dad!"

Hairdresser Ripul Vaja, 32, and wife Marianne, 33, took six-month-old baby, Sophia, to meet the Real Madrid star at the Trafford Centre, in Manchester, as he signed copies of his autobiography, My Side.

And the England skipper, who has two young boys of his own, Brooklyn and Romeo, was more than happy to hold on to the youngster for a family snap.

Ripul, of Prairie Crescent, Burnley, said: "We only decided to go down there at the last minute after we saw on TV that he was going to be in Manchester.

"He is such an idol that we thought it would be worth a trip, although the roads were so busy that we almost turned back. I'm glad we didn't.

"There was a big queue of people waiting to see him when we got there and we ran to join it. We had to wait about an hour-and-a-half but it was well worth it. We were lucky to get to see him but he was so nice and very happy to hold Sophia while we took a picture. We asked him if he would mind holding her and he just said 'no, of course not, she's gorgeous' and he bent down and gave her a kiss.

"He was really good with her. I think he was worried about waking her up more than anything, he's obviously a great dad.

"He was just so down to earth and easy to talk to, he is a real role model for people and just the sort of guy who should be captain of the England football team.

"Marianne was bowled over. I think she was a bit jealous that Sophia got a kiss and she didn't, but she'll have to make do with me. It was such a day to remember."