See David Beckham's reaction to the birth

Victoria and David Beckham are celebrating the birth of their third son, who they have named Cruz.

The couple said they were "delighted" after a caesarean section delivery in Madrid at 1040 local time on Sunday. The baby weighed 7lb (3.2kg).

The Real Madrid and England star said: "He's gorgeous, healthy and his mum is very good so we're a very happy family. He's got Victoria's lips and nose."

Cruz means cross in Spanish. First son Brooklyn is now five and Romeo is two.

David said the couple had been advised to have the baby delivered a week early but mother and baby were "really well".

Asked about the name, he said it was "just a name we like". He said: "We found it hard this time but we found a name we liked and stuck with it."

An earlier statement said: "David and Victoria Beckham are delighted to announce the birth of their baby boy Cruz Beckham, born today at 10.40am at the Hospital Ruber Internacional, Madrid."

Dr Vidal Pelaez, head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at the hospital, said: "Mother and child are in perfect health. Medical intervention lasted 30 minutes with no complications whatsoever."

Cruz is a common surname in Spain and South America, but is an unusual first name, according to Lola Oria, Spanish language tutor at Oxford University.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's main rival in the election to be governor of California was Cruz Bustamante.

Bookmakers William Hill are offering odds of 100/1 that Cruz Beckham will play for England one day and 1,000/1 that all three boys will get into the England team.

News of the pregnancy came months after high-profile reports that David had an affair and rumours that their marriage was in trouble. But the footballer described the stories as "ludicrous".

The couple met in 1997 and married in a lavish ceremony at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland four months after Brooklyn's birth in 1999.

Victoria had a string of solo hits after the Spice Girls split, most recently reaching number three in the UK with This Groove/Let Your Head Go in January 2004.

But in November, she reportedly said she was abandoning her music career to concentrate on fashion designing and motherhood.

(BBC)

obstetrics: （產科學）

gynaecology : （婦科學）