27 AUGUST 2003
David Beckham and his father have apparently mended their strained relationship. Dad Ted, who had a much-publicised rift with his son earlier this year, has jetted to Madrid to see Becks play in his first home city match on Wednesday.

"Victoria is working so she won't be there, but my mum, my dad, my sister and son will be, as well as a few friends," David confirmed the day before the big game at Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Ted had previously said he hadn't spoken to his son for months after he publicly blamed increasing stress within the family on his son's success. The 53-year-old gas fitter remarked he'd "lost that comradeship" with David after his big move to Real Madrid this summer. "We're a normal family," he was also quoted as saying. "The pressure has been gradual but it put a lot of strain on us."

Meanwhile, though Becks himself said this week he's not in a hurry to find a house in Madrid, rumours continue to brew as to where the star footballer and his wife Victoria will live during their four years in Spain.

According to the latest reports, the celebrity couple are looking to rent a £32,000-a-month mansion, complete with nearly three acres of private woodland and 24-hour security, in an exclusive area northwest of Madrid near the palace of the Spanish monarch.