Man(dela) United

There has long been a dearth of distinguished left-sided footballers in the English game.

So when David Beckham proffered Nelson Mandela a shirt emblazoned with his name and the number 03 yesterday, it may have been interpreted as a hint.

Could the still-sprightly Mr Mandela be tempted out of retirement at 84 to help the England cause?

Or even give Beckham's club team-mates a run for their money at Manchester United?

Well, no. It emerged that the number on the shirt did not signify a vacant left-back position.

Instead, it symbolised the year, 2003, which is seeing an historic friendly match tonight between England and South Africa.

Whatever the reason, the former president was delighted when 28-year-old Beckham greeted him and said: 'We have brought a shirt down for you.' 'Ah,' said Mr Mandela. 'Very good. Can I wear it?'

An aide leaned forward to whisper that it might not be a good idea to do so just a day before tonight's big game.

'A few South Africans may get angry,' she explained.

Mr Mandela also chose the path of diplomacy when another pressing topic was raised. What did he think of the England skipper's new braided hair-do?

'Well,' he said. 'I am too old to express an opinion on the latest development by young people.'

Laughter joined the smiles and handshakes that characterised the meeting between Beckham, his manager Sven Goran Eriksson and those of the squad who had made the effort to get up early to catch the hour-long flight from Durban.

Others, including Manchester United's Paul Scholes, Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, West Ham's Joe Cole and Leeds United's Danny Mills, chose to stay behind.

The Football Association, which stressed the visit was voluntary, said they wanted to concentrate on preparing for tonight's match - the first time England have played on African soil for a century.

Held at Mr Mandela's charity headquarters in Johannesburg, the meeting marked the start of South Africa's bid to host the 2010 World Cup.

Beckham had insisted on meeting Mr Mandela if he was to join his team-mates on the trip to South Africa.

'As England captain,' he said after a falter, 'I'd like to just say it's a great honour for me, the manager, the FA and the rest of the players to be here today.

'To meet a great man such as you is a great honour for any one involved.'

The ex-president had a few favours of his own to ask. One was easy. Would Beckham shake hands with some of his grandchildren, grouped in a mini-team all of their own outside. England's No 7 duly obliged.

The second was trickier. 'We are looking for the 2010 World Cup and we hope you and the British people will support our bid,' he said. 'If you support us, many other countries will do so.'

The fact that the English contingent was there seemed to imply their support.

The meeting added another Mandela photograph to the Beckham family album. In 1997, his wife Victoria, along with the other Spice Girls, met the statesman on an occasion he described as 'one of the greatest moments of my life'. Although England's arrival in Africa has been greeted with great excitement, some aspects have not been so warmly welcomed by the local media - especially the players' demand for English food including Jaffa cakes and Heinz ketchup.

The England party of players, coaching staff, physiotherapists and chef has taken over the five-star Beverly Hills Hotel which dominates Umhlanga Rocks, a beachfront resort on the Indian Ocean 20 minutes' drive from Durban, the port city where the match is to be played.

The England chef, specially employed to prepare food just as Beckham and the other players like it, will be given a free run in the kitchen.

But an editorial in the Citizen newspaper sneered at 'picky Becks', claiming that 'South Africa's best cuisine is not good enough for the master of Beckingham and his ilk'.