Capello believes his wife fancies Becks

London, Sep.17 (ANI): England football coach Fabio Capello reckons his missus has the hots for David Beckham.

Laura Capello has her way, old Goldenballs will be first on the plane to South Africa.

The England manager is increasingly coming round to the same way of thinking.

He admitted: "My wife has never told me who her favourite player is but she did have two pictures taken with Beckham a while ago."

"He is an excellent player. He is light years away from all the gossip that usually describes him and he is a professional who never skips training," The Sun quoted Capello, as saying.

In a wide-ranging interview it is clear how strongly Italian Capello has embraced his adopted country to the point where he has become almost as English as fish and chips.

He made his pitch for the Three Lions job on Italian TV during the 3-2 defeat against Croatia at Wembley.

That saw Steve McClaren's side failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

When Capello, 63, got the job, which is worth six million-pounds-a-year with bonuses, he said it was the highlight of what has been a long and illustrious career in the game.

He enjoys everything about his new life, from living in London to this country's passion for the game.

Capello says England has "more respect for rules and a better sense of civic pride" than Italy but he has vowed to steer clear of politicians who try to jump aboard the football bandwagon. (ANI)