United Kingdom, Oct. 20 -- Sir David Beckham credits Guy Ritchie with inspiring his love of the countryside because he is the "ultimate country gentleman".

The 50-year-old former footballer has become devoted to gardening, growing vegetables and raising chickens at his family's home in the Cotswolds in recent years and he's now revealed his director pal helped him fall in love with wholesome outdoor pursuits.

Beckham told Country Life magazine: "[Guy Ritchie is] a modern-day caveman, who has made me fall far deeper in love with the countryside and helped me to understand it even more than I did before.

"Sometimes we sit for hours around a fire, just the two of us, and talk late into the night. Guy is the ultimate country gentleman, who...