David Beckham joins Instagram on his 40th birthday before celebrating in Marrakech

The former England captain flew out to Morocco today with his wife, Victoria

David Beckham posted his first Instagram picture on his 40th birthday (David Beckham/Instagram)

David Beckham has joined Instagram on his 40th birthday, seeing in the new decade with a topless bed selfie.

The black and white image had garnered almost 800,000 followers on the social network within just four hours of being posted.

“Good morning and hello,” Beckham wrote in the caption. “It’s great to finally be on Instagram, been a long time coming but I can't wait to start sharing all my special moments with you.

“Thank you for all your birthday messages so far. Looking forward to a great day with friends and family.”

A photo posted by David Beckham (@davidbeckham) on May 1, 2015 at 10:04pm PDT

Beckham already has more than 50 million “likes” on his official Facebook page but has not previously ventured on to other social networks.

Launching his new account, he thanked fans for their “incredible support” over the decades, saying it “means everything” to him.

The former England captain and his wife, Victoria, arrived in Marrakech on their private jet today to celebrate his birthday with friends believed to include celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.

Dave Gardner, a football agent he met at the Manchester United youth academy, and his girlfriend, actress Liv Tyler, were also among the guests.

Victoria posted a picture on Twitter showing them with their arms around each other outside a plane on Friday night.

“So excited to be celebrating David's birthday,” she wrote, using #DB40 as a special hashtag for the celebrations.

Beckham, who was made an OBE in 2003, made his name at Manchester United, before moving on to Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

After becoming famous for his haircuts and fashion statements at the forefront of the “metrosexual” trend, the footballer has ventured into design and modelling and is currently endorsing an underwear line from H&M.

Beckham has four children with Victoria - sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz, and daughter Harper.

Additional reporting by PA