David Beckham named son after Cruise

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-07-10 16:00

David Beckham named his third son after Tom Cruise.

The soccer star - who is married to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham - became close friends with the 'Top Gun' star in 2003 and the actor was the inspiration behind the naming of little Cruz, who was born in 2005 while David was still playing for Spanish giants Real Madrid.

David - who has two other sons, Brooklyn, 10, and six-year-old Romeo - told writer Grant Wahl for his book 'The Beckham Experiment': "I must admit, when Victoria and I met Tom, I remember turning around to Victoria and saying, 'Cruise is a great name, but we could spell it different.' And also, living in Spain, Cruz is spelled the way it is in Spanish. So that's why we got it."

Although Tom - who is married to actress Katie Holmes - has been very influential in many of David's decisions, including signing with the Los Angeles Galaxy and hiring the same PR firm as him, one thing he hasn't influenced is the Beckhams' religion.

While Tom and Katie are devout followers of the bizarre sci-fi cult Scientology, David and Victoria prefer to stick to their own beliefs.

The handsome athlete said: "It's something I respect, because Tom's explained to me and Victoria what it's all about. But he's never turned around and said, 'That is what you should be doing,' because he would never do that. He and Katie have their beliefs ... but me and Victoria have also got our own."