Justin Timberlake's Beckham praise

Jul 17, 2008, 10:30 GMT

06/11/2008 - Justin Timberlake - "The Love Guru" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals - Grauman\'s Chinese Theater - Hollywood, CA, USA © David Gabber / PR Photos

Justin Timberlake has praised David Beckham for "singlehandedly" increasing the popularity of soccer in the US.

The 'SexyBack' singer - who hosted the ESPY Awards, a sporting event, in Los Angeles last night (16.07.08) - repeatedly pointed to David and his wife Victoria, who were sitting in the front row of the Nokia Theatre, and thanked the sportsman for deciding to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

He told David: "Dude, I got to give you props. Singlehandedly you made soccer in America this much more popular. I call it soccer because in America we already have a game dudes play called football."

David - who along with Victoria dazzled on the red carpet - insists he does not regret the decision to relocate his family to the US.

He wrote on his official blog: "It seems like only a few weeks ago I arrived in Los Angeles with my family ready for the next chapter in our lives. A year later and we feel so settled here, everyone loves California and everyone has made us feel so welcome. I can't imagine being anywhere else in the world right now.

"Of course, I'm enjoying playing my soccer too. I look forward to every match as well as visiting different cities and stadiums around this amazing country.

"You can see a real impact being made across the country, we play in front of big crowds and soccer is now more prominent in the media and more people seem to be aware of the league around the world. My teammates have been great to me and we have a brilliant set of fans. I'm thankful to them and to the people of Los Angeles for making my family and I so welcome since we arrived here."