Margaret Thatcher's grandson is rising star of American football

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She was known as the Iron Lady and now her teenage grandson is a rising star of gridiron.

Michael Thatcher is continuing to foster Baroness Thatcher's special relationship with the U.S. - by helping his high school American football team into the Texas state finals.

The 18-year-old took a brilliant diving catch from a looping 48-yard pass in front of 10,000 fans last week.

The dramatic moment was broadcast live on TV and one excited commentator exclaimed: "Wow! Can the guy run, can he catch, can he do everything?"

Margaret Thatcher, then Prime Minister, announced Michael's birth in 1989 by declaring outside 10 Downing Street: "We have become a grandmother."

The son of Sir Mark Thatcher and Diane Burgdorf, the Texan-born daughter of a wealthy U.S. car dealer, he spent most of his childhood in South Africa where he enjoyed cricket and hockey.

He started playing American football - which is nicknamed gridiron - three years ago when he moved to Dallas with his mother after his father was charged in South Africa with supporting a bungled coup in Equatorial Guinea.

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Debut: Baby Michael with his parent and grandmother

He admitted to being in "a state of shock" about his catch.

"I'm the kind of guy who gets pretty nervous coming out," he said.

"But as soon as we start running the ball, I'll come into a rhythm and I'm sure the rest of the team is the same way."

Randy Allen, coach of the Scots, the Highland Park high school team in Dallas, praised the teenager's "hard work, dedication and discipline".

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In action: Michael shows off his skill on the pitch

At 6ft 1in and weighing 170lb, Michael is still a little small for his position of running back, but is training to increase his size.

Mr Allen said: "He could be one of the best running backs in the state."

Although Lady Thatcher, 82, appears to have little interest in sport, her late husband, Denis, was a rugby referee and a keen golfer. Michael's parents divorced after nearly 20 years of marriage in April.

His father is only able to see Michael and his 14-year-old sister, Amanda, when they travel abroad because U.S. immigration authorities barred him from entering the country after he pleaded guilty over his role in the Equatorial Guinea affair.

He was fined £265,000 and given a four-year suspended prison sentence.