David Beckham has acknowledged he is a gay icon for the first time by agreeing to an interview and cover shoot for gay lifestyle magazine Attitude.
The magazine was unable to discuss the interview, which is scheduled to appear next week.
However, a source confirmed that Beckham, who is in Japan with the English World Cup squad, will be the next issue's cover star.
Beckham's decision to appear on the cover of a gay magazine indicates a seismic shift in attitudes towards homosexuality in the football and the media.
However, the magazine deal almost certainly benefited from the close relationship between Beckham and Richard Desmond, the owner of Attitude.
David and Victoria Beckham regularly grace the pages of OK!, another of Mr Desmond's titles, and they were shown around the Express office shortly after Mr Desmond bought the newspaper.
The Beckhams, whose combined wealth exceeds £35m, are famous for their love of clothes and David Beckham features as often in fashion and gossip pages as he does in the sport pages.
He has appeared recently on the covers of The Face, GQ and Marie Claire, and also modelled for Police sunglasses, Marks & Spencer and Brylcreem.
The Attitude deal appears to confirm that despite the residual prejudices of some fans, the barriers between football and gay society are being eroded.
