FROM the outside, there appears nothing special about this three-bedroom terrace house in Leytonstone to merit the astonishing £1million price tag.

The Victorian period property has a bay window at the front, marred somewhat by the satellite dish next to it, and French windows leading out to the garden from the wood floored lounge. Normally such a home would be worth £250,000 at most.

But its owners are convinced they are sitting on a goldmine - or rather a "goldenballs" mine - thanks to its status as David Beckham's home when he was a baby.

According to the owners, Samira and Sulman Ali, the former England captain spent the first two years of his life in this modest terrace in Norman Road, Leytonstone. They reckon that makes it a very valuable commodity, even in these difficult times.

The Alis only bought the house five months ago, unaware of its Beckham connection. But a local businessman Colin Evans, who had been researching Leytonstone's famous residents, knocked on their door and informed them that their house enjoyed its own slice of sporting history.

Mr Evans had obtained Beckham's birth certificate, showing his date of birth - 2May 1975 - and his home address as Norman Road, Leytonstone, along with his parents' names and his place of birth, Whipps Cross University Hospital. The family moved to Chingford in 1977.

Mr Evans, who is now handling the sale, said: "We've had an offer of £1 million from an Australian businessman who deals in Beckham memorabilia but we've got to see what else comes in. We've been for a meeting with some people at Chelsea and we're meeting some more well-off people in Mayfair.

"It looks like a humble house, but I understand why it might go for that kind of money. It is the Brand Beckham selling it."

Mrs Ali is unmoved by her home's roots and even a little sceptical about its alleged new worth. "I don't really care about David Beckham," said Mrs Ali, "I'd be surprised if anyone bought the house at that price, but it would be fantastic as we could then buy a beautiful big family house abroad. My husband has about seven properties and he is now planning to sell them all so we can move to Dubai. We got a visit by [Mr Evans] who told us about the Beckham connection and we didn't believe him.

"My husband looks after the properties. I only moved here because I wanted some peace and quiet for my son. Our house in Walthamstow was always busy."

Neighbour Carol Kendrick, 59, who has lived in the area for 35 years, said: "The area is a dump so anyone who'd want to buy it at that price would be crazy. They're just cashing in on Beckham's name."

Another neighbour Clara Fernandez, 26, said the sale was "cynical" and "unfair" at a time when thousands were struggling to buy or sell homes.

She said: "There's a lot of resentment about it. But maybe they'll find a Beckham fanatic who is prepared to fork out that amount of money."

The advertisement, on the website Gumtree.com, posted by the sellers, reads: "This house is footballer David Beckham's first house, where he lived before moving to Chingford."

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