LONDON - Victoria Beckham, aka Posh Spice, gave birth to a second son on Sunday and her superstar soccer player husband said they have named the boy Romeo. "It's a boy...Romeo," a beaming David Beckham told reporters outside the exclusive Portland Hospital in central London, where Victoria gave birth to the celebrity couple's first child, Brooklyn, three years ago.

"It's just a name we love," the Manchester United star and England captain said when asked why they chose the name of one of William Shakespeare's best-known lovers. Beckham, looking relaxed in white shirt and matching cap, said his new son weighed in at 3.36 kg and mother and baby were doing well. "We're both delighted...[Victoria's] great. She's sitting up in bed." The soccer star said Brooklyn had been allowed into the operating theater just after the birth, a second Cesarean section.

"Brooklyn came in when Romeo came out...he absolutely adores him," Beckham said. "[Romeo] looks like Brooklyn. He's gorgeous. He's got Brooklyn's nose and Victoria's chin." The fact the baby was a "Romeo" and not a "Juliet" confounded Britain's tabloids, which had confidently predicted the baby would be a girl called Paris, after the French capital where Posh is believed to love shopping. Brooklyn was famously named after the area of New York where he was conceived.

Victoria Beckham shot to superstardom in the 1990s as part of the Spice Girls, which sold about 40 million albums and 25 million singles worldwide and had nine number one singles in Britain alone. This year, she has been seeking to salvage her flagging solo career with a new single, "A Mind of its Own." Meanwhile, David, famed for his soccer skills at top English club Manchester United and as England captain, has said he is in talks with British high-street retailer Marks and Spencer to help design a range of boys' clothing.