Becks turns to Tom Cruise for advice

He's not the most likely of advisors on the world of football, but Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise proved an invaluable asset to David Beckham after he was axed from the England squad.

The 31-year-old former England skipper was dealt the devastating blow by new boss Steve McClaren last month.

After being consoled by his wife Victoria, Becks turned to Cruise for advice.

He may not have a great football brain, but the 44-year-old movie star does know what it feels like to be dumped by a boss.

Last month, Paramount Pictures sacked Cruise following his off-screen antics. The actor had been working with the movie giants for 14 years.

Beckham told the Daily Mirror he telephoned Cruise as soon as he arrived in the U.S - the day he was given the news by McClaren.

"He's a great guy to be able to speak to because he is a very positive-minded person," he said. "It is good to have people like him around you at that point.

"He talked about everything I had done in the World Cup, about the goal I scored and the goals I set up.

"He said I was a great player; that I played for Real Madrid, I've got a healthy family and three boys and a wife who love me to bits. It does you good to hear somebody saying that sometimes."

Becks said Cruise helped him regain his self-esteem. "He's a great example of someone who stays positive through everything," he added.

"And that's how I started to get over what had happened with the England news. I got over it that way, with friends around me."

Cruise and his wife-to-be Katie Holmes are close friends of the Beckhams. The actor has travelled to Spain to watch Beckham play for Real Madrid on a number of occassions.