Soccer idol David Beckham thrilled the stars of boyband One Direction by making a surprise visit to their gig in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (08Aug13).

Singer Niall Horan took to Twitter.com to tell his fans the retired sports ace had brought his sons Brooklyn, 14, Romeo, 10, and eight year old Cruz, along with daughter Harper, two, backstage to meet the boys after the gig.

He writes, "Met our footballing hero! Mr David Beckham! He brought the boys and the little girl to see us! What a nice man! So courteous!"

One Direction are set to play a further three shows at Los Angeles Staples Center this week (ends11Aug13) as part of their Take Me Home world tour.