Ever heard the one about the Buddhist monk and David Beckham?

It's no joke. A Buddhist temple in Bangkok has a statue of the Manchester United legend engraved into its altar.

Beckham may have retired from playing six years ago, but the former Real Madrid winger remains immensely popular with football fans across the globe.

A statue of David Beckham is present at a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand

The Beckham statue was put in place in 1998 as part of the World Cup celebrations

As reported by The Sun, one United fan took his admiration for Beckham to another level by including a statue of the ex-England star in the temple.

Although the statue was put in place in 1998, it has only become a tourist attraction recently.

The statue of Beckham sees him crouching down while wearing a United kit.

In addition to Beckham, the temple in Thailand also includes statues of Barack Obama, Pinocchio, Mickey Mouse and Superman.

Last month Beckham was widely praised for his performance as a team of Manchester United legends beat their Bayern Munich counterparts 5-0 in a game marking the 20th anniversary of United's treble success.

The Beckham statue includes the famous hairstyle he sported in 1998