David Beckham Admits Struggling to Keep Up With Son Romeo During Morning Run: "I Was Breathing Hard"

Retired soccer star says his 11-year-old "was a step ahead of me the whole way"

David Beckham's been beat—by none other than his son Romeo!

During a webchat with The Times at the National Museum in Manchester on Tuesday, Dec. 10, the retired soccer star revealed that physically keeping up with the 11-year-old can sometimes be a bit of a challenge.

The father-of-four recalled one recent morning when he and Romeo went out for a run.

"At 6 a.m. on the dot, I felt a tug on my arm and I heard, 'Daddy, it's time to get up,'" David told The Times (via the Daily Mail). "He's one of those annoying runners who always wants to be one step in front of you. We ran three and a half miles and the third mile was the quickest of all of them. I was breathing hard."

And while David admitted Romeo "was a step ahead of me the whole way," he said he couldn't have been happier.

"My drive must have rubbed off on him. I was very proud of him," he said with a smile.

David added, "I just like to win, even if it's playing in the garden with my kids. I take it easy on them to a certain point, but they have to learn to win. They do actually win most of the time, certainly when there are three of them against me."