David Beckham has warned England's rugby hero Jonny Wilkinson how life will become "crazy for him" from the moment the triumphant World Cup winners landed in Heathrow today.
Wilkinson and the England football captain Beckham built up a friendship since they filmed an advert together, and they spoke at the weekend following Saturday's Rugby World Cup final victory over Australia.
Wilkinson was seeking advice on how best to handle the attention on his arrival back in England, and publicity-savvy Beckham said he would be unable to escape from the spotlight for the foreseeable future.
"I think Johnny has inspired everyone around the country," said Beckham. "It's great - if someone works at his game and practices hard, he deserves all that he gets.
"He is a great talent and it's going to be crazy for him - we talked about that. He's on cloud nine and it hasn't sunk in for him yet. He hasn't seen much of what has been going on in England and they'll be surprised with the London welcome."
Wilkinson is now experiencing a similar level of fame as Beckham has done for the past five years and may be good for the England captain to have someone to compare notes with.
"It's nice to have a friend in a similar position and it's going to be amazing for him," said Beckham. "It's nice to talk to someone who has seen the heights their team can achieve and I hope we can do that in the football.
"We struck up a friendship after recording the advert and have talked a lot since then. The best thing was Jonny's face when that kick went over," added Beckham referring to the winning drop goal.