SEVEN days after assuring England's place in the 2002 World Cup finals, the Stadium of Light is about to hail Sir Golden Balls himself.

Manchester United's David Beckham is the one player in England right now who could go anywhere and get a hero's welcome, and why not?

This afternoon against Sunderland the national team's skipper is certain to be given a standing ovation by the vociferous Wearside crowd.

It is hard to imagine just how the same fans would have reacted to Beckham if it was just a week after his sending off against Argentina in France '98.

The 26-year-old, who has had to put up with jibes about his pop-star wife Victoria ever since that night in St Etienne, has grown enormously since lashing out at Diego Simeone.

And to cap a tremendous turnaround, Beckham's wonderfully executed free-kick against the Greeks at Old Trafford last Saturday took his popularity on to another level. Now he knows what to expect when he visits the North-East today, for his first appearance on English soil since securing a berth in next year's finals.

Whether the same Black Cats' fans give Golden Balls - a nickname given to him by his other half - a similar reception at the end of the game, only time will tell.

Beckham's current form suggests not because there is every chance that he could reproduce that sort of sublime skill from a dead ball once again against Peter Reid's men.

United's prize asset is performing like a man possessed at the moment and few would bet against him finding the net once more.

On Wednesday he grabbed his fifth goal of the season against Olympiakos in the Champions League, so his right boot continues to weave its magic.

Likely to be in action this afternoon is Newcastle United's Rob Lee, despite yesterday handing in a transfer request to manager Bobby Robson.

Robson will be keen to ensure that bombshell does not affect the rest of his squad's spirit when he leads his men to fifth-placed Bolton Wanderers.

The decision made by Lee, who had his testimonial game against Athletic Bilbao during the summer, was a shock, but Robson will be keen to prove that life goes on.

And paying a visit to the Reebok Stadium could be the ideal place to do just that because Sam Allardyce's men have not won in five matches.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, have an important visit to Charlton Athletic, where they will be hoping to win only their third game of the season.

Boss Steve McClaren is likely to play Croatian Alen Boksic and Slovakian Szilard Nemeth up front, which will be the first time this season the pair have started together in the Premiership.

Both have undoubted talent and at Blackburn during the week the partnership looked promising.

What Boksic and Nemeth need is minutes on the pitch and McClaren is about to hand them that chance.

Apart from the North-East clubs there is one other game in the Premiership that does catch the eye - Liverpool versus Leeds.

Both teams have title aspirations and for the Merseysiders in particular they must take three points on their home turf against the League's current leaders.