David Beckham has asthma, agent confirms

David Beckham's agent has confirmed the former England captain suffers from asthma after he was photographed using an inhaler while playing for Los Angeles Galaxy.

Simon Oliveira said the 34-year-old had been diagnosed with a mild form of the condition as a child.

But he insisted it had never affected his performance and would not do so if he was selected in England's World Cup squad, despite six of the South Africa venues being more than 3,000ft above sea level.

"David has suffered with this since he was a young boy but it has obviously had no effect on his performance," Beckham's agent said.

"He has never sought to make it public but if it does inspire any sufferer to think they can achieve great things like many other sportsmen have done then so much the better. Some of the best athletes in the world suffer from asthma and there is no problem with his aerobic fitness."

Dr Mike Thomas, chief medical adviser to Asthma UK, commented: "There are more than five million people with asthma in the UK and 76 per cent of people with asthma tell us that exercise is a trigger for their condition.

"Asthma is particularly common among elite sportspeople like Paul Scholes and Paula Radcliffe, who both suffer with the condition, proof that asthma needn’t stop you competing at the highest level."

As well as Beckham's former England and Manchester United team-mate Scholes and marathon runner Radcliffe, cricketer Darren Gough, Chelsea's Frank Lampard, former England rugby international Austin Healey and Team GB swimming star Rebecca Adlington all suffer from forms of asthma.