David Beckham signed a birthday card for one of the suspects in the Madrid train blasts case. According to Spanish newspaper reports, the celebrated footballer met the suspect just weeks before the terror attack.

According to the El Pais newspaper, police allegedly found the autograph when they raided Mohammed Bekkali's home.

The 31-year-old Moroccan was reportedly so obsessed with Beckham that he wanted to be nicknamed 'Bekks' like the footballer. He reportedly met the England captain at the Real Madrid training ground two weeks before the bombings, in which 190 people were killed, seeking an autograph.

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Speaking at his home in Tangier, Bekkali's father told El Pais that his son bought him a Real Madrid shirt (with Beckham's number 23) as a present. "How could anyone who loved the city and its football team be guilty of the crime he is accused of?"

Beckham's spokeswoman refused to comment on the reports.

Spanish police are holding nine people, including two Indian nationals, in connection with the March 11 attacks. The death toll was reduced to 190 from 202 after local officials cited errors in identifying bodies.