Just a quick update as I have an essay due (well overdue!). Becks trained with the team again today and there is a report and a couple of photos on the official site. There are also a few Reuters photos which I'm adding to the gallery They're pretty small sorry, but I should be able to get larger versions later.

Good News. David Beckham was back in full training today, having recovered from a swollen meniscus of the left knee. He is expected to be available for this Sunday's match between Real Madrid and Athletic Club of Bilbao. Story and pictures on the Official Site

Pedrag Mijatovic has said in an interview that he thinks David Beckham will remain at Real Madrid. He points to the fact that real Madrid have a greater chance of winning a trophy this season and says that although David Beckham is not currently in the starting line-up that this may change in a couple of weeks.(Source)

It is true that David Beckham is disappointed not to have had more success at Real Madrid, he has said as much in recent interviews. However, I don't think when he set his sights on winning a major competition with the club, he imagined his role in landing the silverware would be that of substitute.

David Beckham said himself when he has not started 5 or 6 times that he was willing to live with a "rotation" policy but that it would be different if it were 10-20 games. Well sadly 10 has come and gone and we are all tired of hearing about how David Beckham's situation may change in a few weeks, nobody more so than David Beckham himself, I suspect.

David Beckham would love for Real Madrid to be successful, David Beckham would love nothing more than to be a part of that success but Capello does not consider David Beckham as a first-team player he considers him as a reliable squad member who can be used as a sub. I don't agree with Capello and I think it is extremely frustrating that he hasn't been prepared to give the Beckham-Van Nistelrooy combination a chance to gel and work. However, Capello is the Manager and so I remain far from convinced that David Beckham will stay at Real Madrid.

I thought I had better do a news update! The last couple of days have been kind of quiet - well by David Beckham standards. We've had the usual transfer gossip. With AC Milan, LA Galaxy, West Ham and Blackburn Rovers all getting mentions. Nothing of any substance. Don Garber has mentioned that the LA Galaxy not only have the green light to move for Becks but also have the money (story here). Good to know! All this talk and no money would have been a little pointless.

There was an interview with Ruud Van Nistelrooy in the Sunday Times in which he talks about Becks and about missing their partnership, you can view it here. It is disappointing that RVN and Becks have not had the opportunity to play together much since Ruud came to Real Madrid, I was really looking forward to seeing them as a combination this season because I am a Manchester United supporter and know how well they have done together in the past, oh well somethings just aren't meant to be, at least not with the prejudiced Capello as Manager.

In a case of "too much information" Sylvester Stallone has been telling the world that he has abstained from sex (girls you can all rest easy for a while) and for some reason which I can not fathom has also mentioned that many sports people abstain before an event but he believes David Beckham is the exception. Go Becks!

It has been reported that David Beckham would like a frying-pan for Christmas, story here, there's nothing like getting that Christmas wish-list out there early, take note Victoria - he said frying pan not tattoo the size of a family portrait.

In other exciting news (bit of a slow news weekend) 3 Japanese journalists got the fright of their lives when they trespassed on the Beckham's Madrid Estate and were met by a gun-pointing security guard. I don't suppose they'll be in a hurry to do that again, story here. On the whole wandering around other peoples back yards is definitely not a good idea and I think the security guard is to be commended for reacting swiftly.

David and Victoria Beckham have made one family's Christmas a lot brighter with the donation of a special wheelchair for little 3 year-old Joshua Clarke, story here.

Hi there. Thanks to a very generous fan of Becks we have a signed Real Madrid David Beckham 23 shirt to give-away, big thanks to Ben! To win the shirt (size XXL) just send your name and a paragraph about how you came to be a big fan of Becks to anna@fans-online.com by Friday, December 8th and we will contact the winner by Dec 10th and make arrangements to post the shirt. It will make a great Christmas present for a fan! You don't have to write War and Peace or something brilliant, just a few lines about how you became a fan! There are pictures of the shirt and of Becks signing it online here.

The Mirror have an interesting story about the Glazers buying into the LA Galaxy MLS team with the intention of renaming it and making it the first Manchester United US Franchise. The Glazers are supposedly interested in recruiting Becks to spearhead this initiative, of course we don't know how accurate this story is and anyway according to a number of other publications Becks is going to be hanging out in Glasgow next season and playing for Celtic. Article here.

Real Madrid through a spanish magazine and an "un-named director" have stepped up the media campaign to manage the departure of David Beckham. A story has appeared in Don Balon, which has been picked up by The Independent and The Times (story here) where an un-named board member has asserted that the club want David Beckham to leave, that regardless of the public pose that Calderon and Capello have adopted, that they hope he quits Real Madrid for the US. The comments that "the masked men" make about Beckham not being in favor with Capello ring true enough, after all we have all witnessed for ourselves that Becks has had little playing time and that even when playing well and showing form, he has been passed over by Capello. However, I can't help but wonder if David Beckham had been prepared to renew his contract and accept a few minutes of game time here and there, would Real Madrid have been happy to extend? I think they might well have for commercial reasons but David Beckham is not interested in their commercial agenda he wants to play football.

The timing of these comments is very unprofessional. The article is clearly a thinly veiled attempt at damage control by the club. The quotes about David Beckham not making half as much money for the club as people believe and saying that his remaining at the club is bad for business, are just a little too obvious and transparent.

Now that everyone already knows Becks will leave, now that everyone already knows that he is not in Capello's game plan for reasons not soley based on form, Real Madrid have leaked it to the press that they want him to go too. Whatever.

I hope for David Beckham's sake that this situation does not continue on too much longer and that he can move on to something more positive and ultimately satisfying in January rather than waiting till next Summer. It has to be trying to be caught up in the middle of all these different peoples agendas. He might be famous now but David Beckham is still at heart the guy who as a kid took a football to bed at night :) I hope this is all behind him and he's able to enjoy playing football again soon.

Updated @ 8PM Becks is still recovering from his injury and won't be available for Sundays game - latest training info and photos online here.

Have a great weekend everyone -- Anna

There is an interview with David Beckham in the December issue of the spanish magazine DT out this Friday. Here is an excerpt:

"For now I am happy playing football in Madrid, when I play. The United States thing is a possibility for the future," he said.

But the 31-year old former England captain made it clear that he is not satisfied with things as they are with the Spanish giants.

"At the end of the day I just think about playing games. Football is my passion and we all want to play, but you have to be patient and wait for the moment. In any case, I feel very well in Spain."

Full story available here and more quotes from the interview at realmadrid.com here

There's also a photo and update of Becks recovery from his injury on the Real Madrid official site if you haven't spotted it here. A story from Associated Press says he is expected to be available to play against Valencia, I hope that's the case! However other sources say he won't have recovered yet and he is still training separately from the team so... we'll have to wait and see.

I've added another picture of Becks from the Motorola site to the advertising gallery, it's not a new image, sorry, but I have included it because there was a pop-up that suggested that when the new site motorazr.jp the image advertises is completed it will include Becks PC Wallpaper and who knows maybe a new pic!

There was a lovely story in The Sun about the Beckham's helping a poor lad who is battling his fourth brain tumor. Here's wishing Oliver and all his family the very best.

David Beckham, who is still recovering from a knee injury, and his family watched Real Madrid and Olympique Lyonnais draw last night at the Bernabeu, photos here. This means Real Madrid finished second in Group E - match report.

The Sun is reporting that Becks is going to be giving Tom Cruise's children, from his second marriage, Isabella and Connor, soccer lessons, as a wedding present to Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. That would be nice as the children are both keen soccer players and I bet they'll have a blast with Becks for a coach, full story here.

Updated @ 2pm Real Madrid have drawn Real Betis in the round of 16 of the Kings Cup. The first leg will be played January 10 and the return leg will be a week later. Story here.

Becks and Ronaldo trained separately from the team again today as they continue to work on recovering from their injuries. Becks is not expected to train tomorrow there is one photo (the last one!) on the official site. I'll look to see if there are any agency pics.

David Beckham is still carrying an injury to his knee, a swollen meniscus, and he continues to train separately from the team. He had his first outside session in over a week today and their are a few photos in the gallery. This means he won't be taking part in this weeks Champion League fixture against Olympique Lyonnais (Source). Here's hoping Becks is back to full fitness soon!

The latest, but most certainly not the last, transfer rumor doing the rounds, is that Inter Milan will move for David Beckham. Of all the rumors I have heard so far this one interests me, as it would be quite a good fit for Becks. It would allow him to stay in Europe, but he would not be returning to the EPL and so it would fit with his stated desire never to play for another English team and therefore against his own Manchester United. It probably isn't true, although Mid-fielder Luis Figo is leaving the side at the end of the current season, but if it were it would certainly be another option besides MLS in the event that Becks, despite not wanting to leave Real Madrid, finds it necessary to do so. The Sunday People tabloid reported that Becks was not interested in a move to Italy but The Sunday People is totally full of crap unreliable. Story here.

Cannavaro gave an interview Source and said of Becks

And who impressed you off the pitch?
Beckham for his manners. One thinks that with all of the success he has, he is full of himself. Instead he is simple and humble: there’s no one time, for example, where he stops signing autographs: ten, hundred, thousand, it doesn’t matter, before he’s finished he does not move.

It is a nice and deserved compliment :-)

David Beckham is quoted in today's News of the World, denying any rift with Real Madrid over his recent trip to Rome, he said

"I am completely surprised to see some of the newspaper coverage," Beckham told the News of the World.

"I asked the club for permission to go to the dinner on Friday evening and they allowed me to go, as long as I was in Madrid for treatment on my injury and to watch the game on Saturday.

"I did exactly that and I am in Madrid for the whole weekend."

Capello has also confirmed that David Beckham had permission to go to Rome.

Becks was recently interviewed by the italian magazine, Sportsweek, and is reported as saying of his situation at Real Madrid -

"I'm not playing a lot for Real Madrid and it is very difficult. The manager knows I'm not happy to sit on the bench. I think this is the worst time I've had.

"However, I've no option but to respect his choice and hope it will get better. Now I must work hard to gain back Mr Capello's confidence.

"Our relationship is professional, never personal. It's like that with all the players.

"He's a very Italian manager. He really loves what he is doing and makes us work very hard. I enjoy playing in the middle or on the wing, but the important thing is to be on the pitch!

"I have faith in what is happening at Madrid but it also makes things very difficult."

Read the full story from The News of the World in which Becks talks about not wanting to leave Real Madrid but also makes it clear things are uncertain and he has concerns for his children.

It's sad to read Becks comments. He will be missing playing even more than we are missing seeing him play. We all know that since Capello became the manager at Real Madrid and began to change the formation, tactics etc. that Becks has had little game time and that is of course very frustrating for him. He is right of course, he has no option right now but to continue to do his best in the given circumstances, but in the coming months there will be other options, as there are still many clubs in a number of leagues that would like to have David Beckham in their team. Things will get better one way or another!

David Beckham (who is carrying a knee injury) and his sons attended the match between Real Madrid and Racing Santander last night there are a few photos in the gallery. The match report is online here.

The Independent are carrying a story today about the likelihood of Beck's moving stateside, it really doesn't contain any new info but it is one more person's perspective. Story here. Certainly all the media talk is now concentrating on the LA Galaxy as opposed to the NY Red Bulls or any other MLS Team. However, in the last 24 hours I have had quite the reminder of what media talk is worth. There were many media outlets reporting Becks had been seen arriving at Tom and Katies wedding ceremony in Bracciano when he was sitting for all the world to see at the Bernebeu :-)

David Beckham will not actually be attending Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes nuptials today. Victoria will attend with her sister Louise as Becks will be in Madrid. David and Victoria Beckham arrived in Italy yesterday and attended a pre-wedding dinner together but David flies back to Madrid this morning for treatment on his knee at 11am. Full details here. The media are spinning this as a rift but a spokesman for David Beckham said this had always been the plan, because until this week they did not know he would be injured, and so had made arrangements based on Becks being available to play. This sounds entirely reasonable but the media, having said that he would attend, will now seek to make more of this, than is there on either side. Publications such as The Mirror above, The Mail and even The Guardian are saying there is a "rift" or that Becks was ordered back to Madrid but it is clear that Becks did have permission to go to Italy on Friday and I'm sure both Becks and the club had agreed his plans.

According to The Sun the problem is that David Beckham sought permission from the club and not from Capello, however that doesn't change the fact that Becks did have permission. Also, we don't actually know for certain what Capello was and wasn't aware of, it's just speculation. The important thing to keep in mind, as this all gets blown sky high, is that Becks has not done anything wrong or anything he didn't have permission to do. Give the man a break, he is a consummate professional and he knows the deal.

That all said, I think the club are being incredibly mean-spirited in light of the fact that Becks is injured. Becks must be present at the Real Madrid v Racing Santander game even though he is not on the team sheet and will not take part. I think they are entitled to ask him to make his treatment session. This is a standard requirement, and most clubs would not make an exception. However, I would have thought that they could allow him to be absent from the Saturday evening game now that he will only be watching from the stands.

P.S I've added a few photos of Becks from last week, out buying biscuits in Madrid, sorry about the quality. I'll try to find some better ones.

David and Victoria Beckham arrived in Italy earlier today to attend the wedding of their friends Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes who will marry tomorrow in a small town outside of Rome! Photos have started coming in and I will be putting them in the photo gallery.

Also TMZ have a video of the couple and other guests arriving in Rome here.

Hello! We're back. Apologies to anyone who couldn't access the site yesterday or had problems with the gallery. Moving site was a little harder than we expected but everything is working as it should now.

According to Reuters which is as reliable source as there is - David and Victoria Beckham are expected to attend Tom and Katie's wedding ceremony on Saturday! Becks has been confined to gym work all this week as he is carrying an injury to his knee (details here) so he will not be fit for Saturday's match against Racing Santander but his injury won't be a barrier to making the trip to Italy to celebrate his friends marriage.



Last night England drew with Holland in a lack lustre match which Steve McClaren tried very hard to talk up in his post match comments. McClaren described the match as England's best performance since August. Perhaps that is true. If it is then I think it's not exactly something to shout about. Nevertheless, the real story emerging from last night was not happening in Amsterdam but in Macedonia. Russia defeated Macedonia 2-0 to place themselves second behind Croatia who only just defeated Israel, in Englands qualifying group for Euro 2008.

I read the following line in The Independent and my eyebrows shot up Jack Nicholson style: "they face up to the task of re-establishing themselves in Group E. Yesterday, Guus Hiddink's Russia beat Macedonia 2-0, while Croatia won 4-3 in Israel - these are two formidable opponents that stand in England's way." Full article here. Formidable? What is this?

Only a couple of months ago, I remember reading story after story about how England had drawn an "easy group". That they would "walk" it, that if half of the team stayed on the bus England would still qualify. How there was no need for a certain player with 94 caps and a rather useful cross, because if the England team was entirely made up of players from Scunthorpe United, it would still be an absolute doddle for England to qualify.

We know that David Beckham has unfairly and prematurely been cast into the International wilderness and may miss Euro 2008 now. What we didn't know was that with McClaren in charge, the England team may do the same. Dropping David Beckham from the squad and refusing to recall him for the Croatia match gets more expensive by the day. I hope McClaren will pay the price for misguided pride and public relations. For those who think I'm over-stating it - I'm not saying England definitely won't qualify, I'm just saying it's no longer such a sure thing - underestimate Guus Hiddink's Russia at your own peril.

Several people commented in August that Becks was only likely to see a recall if England got into trouble, and that England was unlikely to get into trouble in their easy group. Does 3rd spot after 4 games suggest a little unforseen trouble? I think it does. As I'm not confident that England will be able to beat Russia. This is starting to look a little more complicated as opposed to "easy". It is time to end the posturing, McClaren should recall David Beckham and utilise every option at his disposal towards qualifying, sadly for England supporters, it is unlikely that he will.

On a more heart-warming note here's a story about a little boy the beckhams have helped.

The Toronto Star carried an interesting article about the MLS, they do talk as if Becks joining the league is a done deal, but of course at this time, it is still just speculation.

Oh and I almost forgot, Calderon said something about hoping Becks would stay at Real Madrid on the radio yesterday. De ja vu anyone? *Yawn*

Well I've got a little transfer action of my own going down at the moment. I'm moving hosts to a new one with loads and loads of yummy bandwidth! Size does matter *wink* This should take about 48 hours and if you see anything strange or broken don't be concerned we'll be fixing any little snafu's that come up and we'll be back by Friday night at the latest.

Don't forget Children in Need's fundraiser will air on the BBC this Friday from 7pm. Here's a little reminder of David Beckham and Dot cotton's Ad spoof! Can't wait to see this!

Other news doing the rounds at the moment is that David Beckham has ruled out returning to Manchester United and Becks earnt close to 37 million $US. It must be all the "waning" that brand Beckham is "supposed" to be doing and not one headline saying "earn it like Beckham" - I think that's catchy! I'll never get a job with the Sun. Sigh.

Becks missed training today because of a problem with his left knee and instead did a little gym work along with Ronaldo. Hope it heals well and he feels better soon, as he has had a few knee niggles this season details here. I guess if he is going to miss this weekend's game through injury perhaps this makes it more likely he can make it to Tom and Katies wedding? People magazine are reporting that Becks and Victoria will attend but there were a lot of reports last month that Becks could not attend because of this weekends match. We'll have to wait and see what happens. -- Anna

Ruud Van Nistelrooy had a great match scoring all of Real Madrid's four goals! However, sadly it was not such a good night for David Beckham. Not only was he not in the starting eleven but Capello did not bring Becks on as the second sub, until the final few minutes of the game. If this is all he gains from having played so well mid-week, then all that he can do now is wait for the opportunity of a fresh start somewhere else. Official match report and photos are online.

I have put the first of the match photos in the gallery.

Today is an important day. Today we have learned that the MLS has lifted it's salary cap, ratifying the "Beckham Rule" making it possible for David Beckham to move stateside, details here.

Today we will see against Osasuna exactly what impact David Beckham's recent excellent performances have had on Real Madrid Manager, Capello. We will know if he starts that David Beckham's future options could include remaining at Real Madrid, even if that is still far from certain. However, if David Beckham does not start today considering, no matter what has been claimed, discussed, debated, exaggerated and talked to death in press conferences and column inches, he is on form, he is mentally strong and he is physically ready, then we will know that David Beckham's future lies in another direction.

The spanish press especially those sympathetic to the Bernabeu hierarchy, have already begun the publicity campaign to minimise the negative fall out for Real Madrid, which faces some embarrassment if David Beckham departs on a free or for a drastically reduced bargain transfer fee. See The Times article for an example of this. Perhaps that is a sign of where David Beckham will be when the starting whistle is blown today. However, in a few hours, we will know.

Update Well we have an answer. David Beckham is not in the starting line-up. He has worked hard to try and play his way back into contention, in fact it is hard to imagine given his recent performances, what it would take for Capello to include him in his starting 11. I'm not going to go on and on (for a change!) this is not exactly a major surprise. So quick poll! Where would you most like to see David Beckham next season the MLS or the EPL?

I'll vote for the MLS - simply because when Becks said he wouldn't play for anyone in the EPL other than Manchester United, I believe he was very sincere, so while you can never say never, I think he will go to the MLS. Anyway the games about to start - I'll be back with photos later. - Anna

I would like to be able to write that I was surprised when McClaren named his squad yesterday and left David Beckham out again. However, I can't. The truth is the surprise would have been if McClaren had done the right thing and included David Beckham in the squad. It is a shame that McClaren has created an impossible position for himself which he can not back down from. As with the majority of England's supporters calling for McClaren to bring back Beckham, he has positioned himself between a rock and a hard place. If he recalls Becks it will involve a loss of face, an implied admission that he certainly should have been in Croatia. If he leaves him out as he has done, facing a team that will pose a serious challenge, such as Holland, he risks another loss and in the event of a loss (friendly or not!), he risks the accusation that he refuses to use his best resources. An accusation there is really no defense against as omitting Becks is more about pride at this juncture than smart selection of the best possible squad. Nevertheless both Becks and England supporters seemed doomed to continued disappointment whilst McClaren stubbornly continues to manage the National team according to his own illogical agenda. It's a pity he limited the squad to a lean 28!! as I think my granny was next on McClaren's list!

The papers and websites have been jammed with stories linking the Blackburn Rovers to David Beckham. All because poor Mark Hughes made a few innocent remarks, about what a great player Becks is (naturally!) but he did conclude that for him it might be a case of right player, wrong time, because Rovers may not be looking to strengthen the squad in that area. Lord only knows how many stories we will be subjected to if someone "really" says they're interested and is in a position to act on it! Anyway here is the full story including the quotes most of the media left out.



Finally some new words from the man himself from his post match interview in The Telegraph, Skysports.com and full interview at Teamtalk. To let us all know that he is mentally and physically as strong as ever!

Poor Becks, he made a few casual comments to Tim Lovejoy around a year ago, about being, what we in this part of the world affectionately call, a "neat freak" - a person who likes things just so - and before you can say "obssessive compulsive disorder" the world's media has diagnosed him as suffering from the syndrome of the same name. Not to put too fine a point on it but - Bollocks!

Recently he was unfairly left out of the England squad, suffered disappointment at the world cup and resigned the captaincy, and of course being flesh and blood and a member of the human race, it affects him a little, as it would anyone. Some of the media with the assistance of some ill-chosen words from Capello, have seized hold of the word "psychological" and as usual exaggerated the implications. Painting an image of poor Becks strung out on the couch, a shattered man. Oh Puhleeeese!! Becks has been training hard, he played well in his last 3 outings and in the games earlier in the season. He's launched a book, a new fragrance, recorded an Ad and been involved with a number of charities and worthy causes. Not bad for a man suffering from psychological malaise, methinks. Becks has as always come through the trials and tribulations of his life with flying colors. He continues to be a role model to all, as to how to act in the face of adversity.

Now let's keep everything crossed that Becks will be in the starting line-up tomorrow, I think after his performance against Ecija, he has well and truly earnt it! In fact it's overdue.

Real Madrid won in style and David Beckham scored a goal (with his left foot!) you can't ask for better than that! Manager Fabio Capello said earlier in the week that he believed Becks was back to his very best and David Beckham backed those words up 100% with another great performance! Following his excellent contributions against Celta and Steaua Bucaresti. Match details here.

The official match report and photos are now online here. Also check the Real Madrid.com front page for the video of David Beckham with Ollie Cartwright the brave little boy who received the Pride of Britain Child of Courage award. If you haven't already seen it, check it out. It is free video not a locked members only one.

I'll start adding the match photos now! It is great to see Becks looking so happy it was clear he really enjoyed the game and also the comraderie with his friends Ronaldo and RVN who also had a successful night!

David Beckham will appear on the TV show Blue Peter to support it's latest appeal, to raise money for children who have lost parents to aids. For more on this story as well as a video of Becks talking about the cause see details on the BBC site.

Update! - Watch David Beckhams appearance on Blue Peter at the Blue Peter site. They have two clips of Becks meeting Zoe the host video clip 1 and video clip 2

If you have any problem with those links go to the Main site and look for the clips in the video feature section. It's a great cause, support it if you can!

Fabio Capello has praised David Beckham's recent performances and commented that he thought Becks' game might have been affected by being dropped from the England National team and giving up the captaincy, but that he believes he is coming back to his best form again now. You can read his comments online here. It is good to hear that Capello believes Becks has bounced back from recent events. Certainly, David Beckham had to be rocked by the way he was exiled from the England squad, a team that he loved so much and gave his all too for so long. I can't begin to imagine how difficult the last few months have been for David professionally and of course personally too and for his entire family.

Forgive me, for a sentimental moment, but David Beckham is truly inspiring he continues on, battles on, in situations where I honestly don't know if I could do the same. The pressure, the critics, the knocks, the disappointments and sometimes the downright injustices but he is not given to self-pity or to giving up. Some would say but look at his wealth - I think they miss the point, you really can't take it with you, it really doesn't buy happiness and it can't even buy you a fair deal when the England Squad is being selected, so to under-estimate the very real guts that Davd Beckham shows just because he is wealthy is to let something worth admiring pass you by. No two ways about it! David Beckham is an inspiration.

Photos from yesterday's training session are on the Real Madrid site

With papers reporting today that David Beckham is going to be returning to the English Premiere League and joining the MLS club LA Galaxy it is clear the only way for all the reports to be true is for poor Becks to be cloned! Unfortunately I don't think the science is quite there yet! Of the literally dozens of stories speculating about Becks future, I'll post just two - as believe me you do not want or need to read them all and these two reflect the kind of stories circulating :-)

Beckham fits bill for LA Galaxy

John Carlin:Should he stay or should he go

Also much has been made of the fact that Sir Michael Caine has reportedly said that he thinks Becks is too young to be knighted, Story here. Now what Sir Michael Caine is overlooking is that a successful actor's career will last into their old age and these honors are usually bestowed when individuals are nearing the end of their career, for a professional sportsman such as David Beckham their career will not last into their 60's or 70's. Therefore the appropriate age to knight a sportsman and an actor are very different. I would suggest that as much as I like and respect Sir Michael that he should keep his nose well out of this, it is not his decision to make.

Finally Becks was part of the Pride of Britain Awards last night although he performed his role in Madrid when he told Ollie Cartwright that he was going to be the recipient of the Child of Courage Award story here. Photos on the Real Madrid site

Bugger. Our first loss at home and I have to admit I didn't see it coming I thought we'd win comfortably. Sometimes footie is like that you beat Barcelona only to fall on your face against Celta. Damn. The one positive is that David Beckham played very well and was the main source of danger after coming on but unfortunately his passes and break aways were not converted. You can read the telegraph write up here and the Independent article on the match here.

The Official Match report and photos are online here. I will add photos to the gallery as they come in I don't expect to have the best of them until tomorrow though.

In very sad news, it has been reported in the News of the World that poor little Romeo Beckham has been diagnosed with Epilepsy. This means that flash photography of Romeo could cause him to have seizures and some photo agencies have said they won't take flash photos in Romeos presence any more. I really hope all photographers will follow suit as it's the only decent thing to do! I know our thoughts and prayers are with the whole family, my neice has Epilepsy and was diagnosed at 5 and she is able to lead a full and normal life as they have very good medication available now, but it is always very worrying and upsetting to have illness in the family. Children are so precious and special to us, it is always very stressful when anything is wrong and medicene is needed on an on-going basis. Poor Victoria and David they already have so much to cope with in their lives, lets send them all the love and positive energy we can! Here's hoping with all our hearts, that Romeo will be only mildly affected and that he may grow out of it.

David Beckham and a number of the other Real Madrid players met Maria Sharapova the famous Tennis player after their Champion League match Wednesday.

Thursday, Ruud Van Nistelrooy was asked about David Beckham's reaction to not starting and said

Source He is a great sportsman, a great team player. It is a very good sign to see his attitude."

It's nice to see Ruud's loyalty to his friend and nice to read his kind words. I know I was really happy when I knew they would be re-united at Real Madrid and it's still my hope to see them play more together and re-discover their magic as a combination!

Finally, The Sun, has reported that Becks was 10 minutes late for training! It must be a slow news day for The Sun! 10 minutes is hardly a big deal! Have a good weekend -- Anna

David Beckham has earned praise for his performance tonight! I hope this will be the beginning of a change in fortune for Becks who has had a difficult few months. He has as always hung in there and continued to give his everything for the team and so it was nice that Fabio Capello singled him out for praise during the post-match interview. As he did indeed lift the whole team when he came on in the 59th minute and it was good to see Becks get a reasonable amount of time to prove himself, which he did, almost setting up a goal within minutes of taking the field. I hope this means that Becks will be feeling happier as he deserves it!

First of the photos in the gallery