David Beckham worries his success puts pressure on his sons.

The 39-year-old retired soccer player - who has Brooklyn, 15, Romeo, 11, and Cruz, nine with his with wife Victoria Beckham - believes his sporting legacy puts a lot of pressure on the boys to follow in his footsteps and become stars on the pitch.

David - whose son Cruz already plays for Arsenal FC's academy - told The Daily Telegraph newspaper: ''They do feel the pressure a little bit. I wouldn't say it affects him but Brooklyn said it to me the other day, he stepped onto the pitch and the kids were saying, 'He's going to be great, he's going to be the best.'

''If he has a bad game, if he kicks a bad ball, he hears what other kids say. For the younger two they don't care, especially the youngest one. He thinks he is the best anyway because he's got two older brothers he is competing with.''

The father-of-four - who also has three-year-old daughter Harper - made the decision to retire from playing the sport professionally last year in order to spend more time with his family

He said: ''If someone had turned around and said, 'What are you looking forward to after retirement?' It was to take my kids to football, to every single training session. Watch them and be part of their lives.

''Not that I wasn't before but, with my commitments, there were certain games that I missed or certain occasions that I missed. I hated that.

He added: ''It is one of the reasons I retired - I'm a cab driver. I literally am in the car from seven in the morning until nine at night. It is what I was looking forward to after retirement.''