The England midfielder was filmed practising curling free-kicks into a goal without a net for the 30-second clip.

The ad’s message “we need nets” highlights the need for mosquito nets – a simple, cheap measure to prevent the spread of the illness in the developing world.

The video for charity Malaria No More UK will be broadcast around BSkyB’s coverage of Wednesday’s night’s Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona.

Beckham is a founding member of the leadership council for Malaria No More UK.

The charity aims to provide everyone in Africa with a mosquito net by 2010 and hopes to eliminate Malaria deaths by 2015.

—— Well done Beckham, I hope this is not another curling kick gimmick.