David Beckham suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Real Madrid soccer star David Beckham has admitted, during a short interview with the British channel ITV, that he suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This condition drives him to carry out odd rituals such as putting items in exactly the right spot or persistently organizing things.

"I've got this obsessive compulsive disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs. I'll put my Pepsi cans in the fridge and if there's one too many I'll put it in another cupboard somewhere. I'll go into a hotel room, but before I can relax I have to move all the leaflets and books and put them in a drawer. Everything has to be perfect."

In the ITV interview, partially published in the Sunday Mirror, he says although he has kept the condition secret from his Real Madrid teammates, it was common knowledge among the players at Manchester United.

Beckham told how Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs and Gary and Phil Neville would tease him by messing up his clothes and magazines when staying in hotels.

I thought they were just coming in for a chat, but then they'd go out and I'm thinking 'something's different here'. And then all the magazines would be all wonky. They'd have been in my wardrobe and all my trousers and my shoes would be all over the place.

Even his wife, Victoria, is giving him a hard time about this behaviour. She calls me a weirdo, he said.

OCD is listed by the World Health Organisation as one of the ten most debilitating illnesses in existence. Other stars known to be living with the condition include Billy Bob Thornton and Alec Baldwin.