Give him a call Becks! Southampton captain Ward-Prowse eager to meet Beckham | OneFootball

James Ward-Prowse says he wants to break David Beckham's record of 18 free-kick goals - particularly if it means he might get to meet his childhood hero.

Ward-Prowse made it 14 goals from direct free-kicks with a sublime effort against Brighton and the 27-year-old still has plenty of time to surpass Beckham's mark.

"My main motivation is to meet my hero who I loved when I was growing up," Ward-Prowse said.

"If I do get that record, hopefully he'll reach out - but there's a long way to go just yet."

Ward-Prowse has now scored four from direct free-kicks this season - the same as last year - with only Beckham (2000-01) and Laurent Robert (2001-02) scoring five in a single Premier League campaign.

His strike at Falmer stadium looked different, whipped to the goalkeeper's side and low into the corner, rather than previous goals that have been struck high and curled viciously back in.

"I love practising them," he said. "Once I score one, I just want to score another."