OVERKILL

THE shine of football's golden boy seems to have dimmed among Manchester shoppers as stores slash prices on scores of items of David Beckham merchandise.

Real Madrid may have splashed out £25m on the England captain last summer, but city centre retailers have had to cut prices by more than half to shift Beckham-related books, clothing and computer games.

The former Manchester United star's much-publicised autobiography My Side has been reduced to about half its £18.99 cover price by WH Smith and Waterstone's.

Marks & Spencer, which carries Beckham's DB07 children's clothing collection, has reduced branded T-shirts by two-thirds from £9 to £3.

Copies of his David Beckham Soccer computer game were relegated to the bargain two-for-£25 basket at the Game store in the Arndale Centre, where top titles retail for £39.99.

Beckham's wife Victoria seems to be suffering similarly as her double-A-side CD single This Groove/Let Your Head Go, which is at No 3 in the charts, can be picked up for £1.99 at Virgin Megastore.