Aged 10 - and already stopping Balls

He's the geeky Labour leadership frontrunner now desperate to sell himself as the man to save his party from oblivion.

So David Miliband should be pleased The Mail on Sunday has unearthed a picture of him as a sporty-looking ten-year-old goalie for his school team.

His fingers gripping an old-style leather ball, the future Foreign Secretary looks just like the sort of shot-stopper Labour now needs.

Mr Miliband appears centre-stage wearing an orange top in a 1975 team photograph for the under-11 side at Horsforth Newlaithes Junior School in Leeds.

Former team captain Russell Marsden said David was ‘much more competitive’ than his brother Ed.

He said: ‘David must have been pretty good because he was in the year below most of us, yet he was still the best goalie at the school.’

Sadly, a year later, Mr Miliband’s football career nose-dived when he let in seven goals for nearby Benton Park comprehensive school.