He smiled for photos with Ritchie, who defended Beckham as a “fabulous actor” when he appeared in King Arthur.

“He is a fabulous actor and a real pleasure to be with,” he said in 2017.

Charlie Hunnam, the film’s leading star, said of working with Beckham: “It was lovely, he did an amazing job. He is very quiet and humble and serious.

“I thought it was a lark, I thought he was just going to show up for a laugh because he is Guy’s friend, but he took it all very, very seriously.”