"Somebody has gone in this morning and written across the Beckham image 'You loosers'," said David Grob, the curator of the photographic exhibition of the world's greatest living footballers at the Royal Academy of Arts in central London.

The words "Beckham and Meier, you loosers" were also scrawled on a wall opposite a portrait of Pele -- in an apparent reference to the Swiss referee Urs Meier, who officiated during England's quarter final defeat to Portugal and disallowed a last minute Sol Campbell goal.

The word "loosers" was written with a double "o" in a possible reference to Rebecca Loos, the woman who earlier this year claimed she had a torrid affair with the England captain.

Beckham and his pop star wife Victoria, known as Posh Spice, repeatedly denied the alleged affair.

His portrait, worth 7,500 pounds (11,200 euros, 13,600 dollars), was the most popular in the FIFA 100 exhibition, which was designed to celebrate the centenary of world football's governing body.

The England captain missed two penalties at Euro 2004 -- one in the first match against France and another during the penalty shoot-out against Portugal -- and came in for criticism for his performances.

"The picture is a write off," said Grob. "We have reported it to the police and we will have to get another one printed."