Beckham appeared to sustain the problem midway through the second half of Sunday's match, after mis-hitting a cross and then running into the advertising hoardings behind the goal.

He stayed on the pitch for a while seemingly in a bid to run the injury off but, with no apparent improvement, he was substituted with Antonio Cassano taking his place.

Beckham, who was back in the Madrid starting line-up after being suspended for last weekend's derby at Atletico Madrid, had earlier hit the Getafe crossbar with a 25-yard thunderbolt in the first half.

The former England captain was also involved in the build-up to Madrid's equaliser just before half-time, which led to Ruud van Nistelrooy slotting home from the penalty spot to earn his side a 1-1 draw.

The injury to Beckham is a blow to both player and club, with Madrid facing two massive away games this week at Bayern Munich and Barcelona.