Beckham name dropped from film title in US

David Beckham has been left on the subs bench for the US promotion of a film named after him – because no one has heard of him, it emerged today.

The box office smash Bend It Like Beckham goes on release in the States next month but a female American footballer will be used to promote the movie because she is a household name across the water.

Andrew Orr, of The Works, the London company that sold the US distribution rights to Fox Searchlight, said women’s World Cup winner Mia Hamm was more famous than Beckham in the US.

He added: “The film name is staying the same but it makes sense to use Mia and her name to promote it because she is a household name over there.

“She is better known than David Beckham.”

Mia, who appears in the film, is one of the most famous women footballers after helping the US take gold in the 1996 Olympics and lift the 1999 Women’s World Cup.

The film, written and directed by Gurinder Chadha, charts one young Asian girl’s determination to be a professional footballer despite the objections of her traditional family.

The film was a big hit in Britain and is launched in selected cities in America from March 12.