Following a tweeted photo of Beckham pointing at a row of posters for the film, taken by his wife Victoria, Ritchie opted to make the big reveal to news show Access Hollywood.

When correspondent Tim Vincent showed the director the photo, he chuckled, "Who is that chap? We've seen him somewhere."

He then added, "He's in the film. He's in there... He's marginally disguised, but he's in the movie. I mean, once you know who it is, you'll know who it is!"

It's not Beckham's first foray into acting - he also appears in Ritchie's upcoming Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur and played himself in TV movie Only Fools and Horses: Beckham in Peckham and soccer film Bend it Like Beckham.