London, July 10:

Thieves have stolen a bronze statue of David Beckham from a garden in central England. Police said on Tuesday that the 3-foot statue, valued at about $800, was taken in recent days from the front garden of a house outside Birmingham. The statue shows the player standing with his foot on a ball.

Beckham, who returned to England’s national team last month after being dropped following 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. Beckham also played for Manchester United and won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League title before moving to Madrid in 2003.