London: Thieves have stolen a bronze statue of David Beckham from a garden in central England. Police said Tuesday that the 90-centimeter (three-foot) statue, valued at about £400 ($800), was taken in recent days from the front garden of a house outside Birmingham. The statue shows the soccer player standing with his foot on a ball.

Beckham, who returned to England’s national team last month after being dropped after the World Cup, is expected to make his Los Angeles Galaxy debut on Saturday. He left Real Madrid after helping the team win the Spanish league title last month — his first major title with the team. (AP)