David Beckham made sure if a kid met their hero they were not disappointed

The fanatical throng that swarmed around the BMW suggested a pop band was inside it. At the height of Britpop, David Beckham was a one-man boy band.

This was January 1997 and two months before Beckham met Victoria Adams in the Old Trafford players' lounge. He was already a superstar; the Manchester United No.10 and England regular with boy-next-door looks who had audaciously scored from the halfway line.

One kick of a football "kicked open the door to the rest of my life", in Beckham's words. He was the Brylcreem Boy and, before Victoria, he was pictured out with an Italian model.

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Beckham arrived fashionably late at Old Trafford with his father, Ted, in the passenger seat. He was injured for the FA Cup fourth round tie against Wimbledon and emerged wearing a Calvin Klein cap. He was recognised before he parked up. A father began bowing as Beckham approached the Stretford End car park, much to Ted's amusement.

This correspondent was a starstruck eight-year-old. The crowd that greeted Beckham was so overwhelming I (forgive the first person) was worried he would not sign my autograph book. I turned to my parents and said as much.

Beckham, who was 21 at the time, heard me and said, “Don’t worry, mate” before patting me on the head. I still have the autograph.

Others have similarly charming anecdotes from their encounters. At Selhurst Park in 1999, a teenage girl was in tears after getting a fleeting glance at a besuited Beckham arriving off the United team coach.

In Mothercare, Beckham was once deliberating over children's cutlery for his eldest, Brooklyn, and asked a lady which one he should