Big names Beckham and Ronaldo become velodrome heroes

DAVID Beckham and Ronaldo will be competing in the track cycling at the Commonwealth Games.

No, it’s not some strange publicity stunt involving the two soccer stars, but rather two Indian cyclists named after them competing in the velodrome.

The two cyclists, Ronaldo Laitonjam Singh and David Beckham, will lead the Indian team at the Velodrome in London.

After dominating the cycling scene in India in recent years, the two loom as the country’s best hopes for a first medal in the sport at a Commonwealth Games.

Beckham, 19, is named after the former England captain and Manchester United and Real Madrid star.

The young cyclist’s family, from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, were huge Manchester United fans.

He lost his father in the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 and 10 years later his mother passed away from an infection.

He lived with his grandfather from the age of 11 and took up track cycling at his insistence, giving up his dreams of emulating his namesake on the soccer field.

Singh, 20, isn’t named after Portuguese megastar Cristiano Ronaldo or the Brazilian “OG” Ronaldo — who dazzled in the 1990s and 2000s.

Rather he is named after icon and two-time world player of the year Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho’s full name is Ronaldo de Assis Moreira.

One of his most iconic moments took place on June 21, 2002, when England took on Brazil in the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup in Japan. Ronaldinho scored an iconic freekick against England’s and won Brazil the match.

Singh’s policeman father Roben, was watching the game when he got the call his wife was in labour.