EXCLUSIVE: Beckham on trial at Chelsea! But it's not the superstar former England captain... it's his son Brooklyn



Father and son footballers Mark Chamberlain & Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (below)

Paul and Thomas Ince

Zinedine and Enzo Zidane



Cesare and Paolo Maldini

Arnor and Eidur Gudjohnsen

Peter and Kasper Schmeichel

Frank Lampard Snr and Jnr

Jean and Youri Djorkaeff Johan and Jordi Cruyff Leroy and Liam Rosenior Mike and Ian Walker

David Beckham is in the autumn of his career - but there may soon be another family member pulling his boots on at a Premier League club.

Sportsmail can reveal that Beckham's 13-year-old son Brooklyn has had a trial for Chelsea at the club's state-of-the-art training ground.



Beckham Snr was pictured with another Chelsea academy player in the snow at Cobham on Tuesday - sparking speculation that the former England midfielder could make a sensational return to the Premier League.

But it has emerged that he was there to watch his son in a low-key academy game aimed at giving him a taste of English football at junior level.

Players and parents were stunned to see Beckham on the touchline cheering on his 13-year-old son.

Sid Celery ‏tweeted: 'Ok, so I've just picked up that the reason David Beckham was at Cobham today was that son Brooklyn is being trialled for CFC U14s #Phew.'

Cole perry dasilva said: 'David Beckham's son Brooklyn is on trial for my team #chelseafc… David Beckham was watching our training session tonight!! Madness'.

Brooklyn was on the Under 14 roster at the LA Galaxy academy while his dad played in California.

Spotted: David Beckham was snapped with a Chelsea youth team player after watching Brooklyn at Cobham

Like father like son: David Beckham with his sons (from left Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz) in LA Galaxy kits at his final game in the MLS.

Having a ball: David Beckham and son Brooklyn enjoy the snow in London this week Young one: It's 20 years to the day since Becks signed his first professional contract with Manchester United

Fairytale ending: Beckham finished his spell in LA by lifting the MLS Cup

Why Chelsea think the kids are all right

Chelsea have long attempted to boost their youth ranks as part of their bid to become self-sufficient under Roman Abramovich. They have had some successes and many failures with bringing through kids to the first team, although Nathan Ake is the latest to come through the ranks. A statement on the academy section of the club's website reads: 'To produce home-grown professional footballers capable of competing with Europe's elite players. A talented young footballer wanting to play for Chelsea needs to strive to be among the best in the world. 'Producing a core of our own young talent has never been more challenging; nor has it ever been more worthwhile. The development of young players is vital to the long-term success of any football club.

'Therefore the production of home grown players through the Academy system, who can progress to first team level is a key area of Chelsea Football Club. The financial gains are undisputed; a successful Academy has the potential to save the club millions of pounds in the transfer market. The benefits however, go deeper still.

'A world class youth development programme can also promote long-term loyalty and commitment to the club among those players who eventually make it into the 'big time'. Whether these boys are plucked from the local talent pool or brought in from abroad, Chelsea's drive towards self-sufficiency is crucially dependant on the creation of a successful Academy structure, capable of nurturing players of the highest quality.'

Beckham Snr has since left the US side and is currently considering his next move after leaving LA Galaxy at the end of the MLS season in December.

An insider said: ‘Brooklyn is like any teenager with an ambition to be a footballer. He has just returned to England and wanted to see how he fared.



'Chelsea are one of the strongest academies in the country. The difference is that he is the son of the former England captain and this will draw attention.’



Beckham has spoken in the past about the difficulties of Brooklyn being a football-mad son of one of the most famous footballers on the planet.



'They've got a great life set up for them,' he told The Times. 'Obviously our boys and little girl are very lucky.

'But I think, as a parent, you always worry: "Have they got the hunger that I had as a kid?"'

He added: 'I'm as hard on my boys as my dad was. They always ask, "Did I play well?" I'll say, "You did all right, could have done better..."'

Beckham is a free agent after leaving LA Galaxy and has attracted interest from QPR and West Ham in the Premier League, and Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain in France.



There is also interest from the UAE, where former England boss Sven Eriksson himself is now technical director at Al Nasr in Dubai, and the Swede says he would welcome the Manchester United legend to the Middle East with open arms.

The Beckhams are in London after moving back to the UK following the end of his contract with Galaxy.

The family are currently renting a lavish £20million property in London from Touker Suleyman, boss of Ghost and Hawes & Curtis, while the Beckham brood will be educated at London schools.



A source recently told MailOnline: 'It's time for a new London life, they are all very excited.'

So, can Brooklyn Bend it like Beckham (Snr)...?

As these pictures show, it looks like Brooklyn has been copying his dad's famous technique for taking those free-kicks...

Spot the difference: It looks like Brooklyn has been copying his dad's way of curling those set-pieces



Bond: Beckham with son Brooklyn at an LA Galaxy kids match in 2011

On the ball: Brooklyn loves football and has spent a lot of time at the training ground with his dad



PS And there aren't many kids who can say they've already scored at Old Trafford!

Watch this footage of Brooklyn, who had only recently turned two, score at the Theatre of Dreams. Well, with a little help from Manchester United's famous No 7...