A FOOTBALL fan who predicted David Beckham would captain England 25 times or more has won a £1,000 - seven years after placing a £10 bet.

Beckham had not been captain even once when Fair Oak resident Paul Roberts took the 100-1 gamble with William Hill bookmakers in 1997.

The 44-year-old thought the money was lost after watching the midfielder - who now plays for Spanish team Real Madrid - get sent off in the 1998 World Cup.

He said: "When I saw him get sent off in the match against Argen-tina I thought the bet wouldn't come up then. He was the most hated man in England.

"I thought, that's it - he'll never play for England again."

But when Sven Goran Eriksson announced the boy wonder from Essex was to captain England in the 2002 World Cup he realised the bet was a dead cert.

He said: "It was great to actually win it, although I knew for quite a while I would win unless Beckham got shot or something stupid like that."

Paul, who lives in Stoke Heights, finally got lucky during England's recent friendly with Croatia.

The father-of-two first noticed Beckham when he went to watch Eric Cantona play his first match after being banned for kicking an opposition side fan in the face.

He said: "Beckham was practically unknown when I put the bet on. I just thought he was in the right position to play for England one day."

Paul said he had no immediate plans to give up his job as a team leader at the Pirelli site in Chickenhall Lane to become a talent scout. Instead he plans to plough his winnings into some much-needed home improvements.