Well Midnight December 31st has come and gone. It was accompanied as usual, by wide-spread partying, kissing, hugging, bad dancing and a few incredibly crap renditions of Auld Langsyne, but one thing most decidedly absent as the midnight hour arrived was David Beckham's signature on a Real Madrid contract.

In fact according to Goal.com yesterday's scheduled meeting between Mijatovic and Beckham's agent, didn't go ahead.

The Sun quoted a spokesman for David Beckham as saying

David has no intention of leaving the club in January.

He still wants to play a big part in the remainder of the season with Real Madrid and talks are ongoing.

It has been reported elsewhere that Real Madrid are unhappy that the matter is unresolved. However, are they really surprised? David Beckham has made it crystal clear how much playing football means to him and how unhappy he was to get only limited game time, so he has been nothing but consistent in his words and deeds.

Welcome to 2007 everyone!

Today was the last training session of 2006 but David Beckham did not participate, acording to the Real Madrid site this is because he is sufferring from cervicalgia, which is quite literally "a pain in the neck" - this refers to his injury not to Capello, if anyone is confused :) The timing of this, although it might well be very genuine, does appear suspicious, whatever is impacting negatively on Becks, I hope it is resolved soon and he feels better.

David Beckham has said he won't leave Real Madrid during the January transfer window and clearly his preference is to, at the very least, complete this season. However, circumstances can change very quickly in football and we can't know what is transpiring between David Beckham and Real Madrid at the moment, and exactly what outcome the club is trying to achieve.

For example if David Beckham does not renew and wants to remain at Real Madrid, choosing to delay making his final decision, as has been reported, will the club be accepting of this? Will the situation at Real Madrid become untenable? Will Real Madrid ask Becks to sign or transfer in the current window, making it clear that if he does not, his continuing at the club whilst his contract remains un-renewed, will not be very enjoyable? I don't know. I can only imagine that there are some tense negotiations occurring as David Beckham's interests and the clubs interests may not be perfectly aligned. I, of course, hope the outcome will favour Becks.

If, and I think it unlikely, David Beckham did transfer in the January window, then it is reported that at least 15 clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea, Inter Milan (it is reported they have already tabled a contract offer with David Beckham's agent), Juventus, AC Milan, Tottenham Hotspurs, Aston Villa, West Ham, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Newcastle, New York Red Bulls, LA Galaxy and Celtic are all dressed up in their prettiest frocks, furiously batting their eye-lids and all ready to woo our favorite mid-fielder, Mr Beckham. However, there are several rolls of the dice still to be tossed by Real Madrid. One thing is for sure the rumor mill is going to be running very hot. Here's the latest from that *cough* esteemed and reliable *cough* paper, News of the World.

The Sunday People Tabloid are reporting Liverpool are set to make a bid for David Beckham on the back of the proposed takeover of the Anfield club by Dubai International Capital. In the very unlikely event this is true, I feel incredibly safe in saying that there's not a snowball's chance in hell that Becks would go to play for Liverpool, this millenium or the next. As John McEnroe liked to say, "You can not be serious!"

Hope you have a great New Year's Eve and here's too a bright and shiny 2007, I hope it brings you everything you wish for and I especially hope it's a wonderful year for Becks!

The Christmas break is over and Becks and his Real Madrid team mates were back in training at Valdebebas. You can see a couple of cute pics on the official site. I have also added some training photos to the gallery.

The first photos of David Beckham in Tokyo for a couple of Motorola events are in the gallery. More details of his visit and a short video clip are online here. I will add any more photos that I can find! He looks absolutely gorgeous in these pics...then doesn't he always! :)

Becks personally signed a Motorazr which will be auctioned to raise funds for UNICEF, details here.

The latest news on David Beckham's contract renewal according to Tribal football is that Real Madrid have not heard from Becks but have tabled their offer and a meeting has been arranged by Mijatovic for December 31, the day after Becks returns to training in Madrid.

P.S There are also some splashnews photos of David and Victoria Beckham going out for dinner (Story here) looking very debonair in the events gallery.

Another quickie, not just for me but also for Becks it seems - quick trip that is! David Beckham is scheduled to make a flying visit to Tokyo, Japan this Friday to appear at some promotional events for Motorola according to this news report. The motorazr japan site I posted about last month is live now you can check out the events area for more details, there are also two very cool wallpapers to download. If you are in Tokyo be on Becks alert!

In other news a number of sports sites are reporting that Becks has until December 31st to advise Real Madrid on whether he intends renewing his contract or not. Of course this isn't really that big a news story after all Real Madrid were always going to want to be advised before January 1 arrived, as under Bosman rules, Becks is in a position to talk to other clubs and even arrange a pre-contract ahead of the Summer, from this date.

Just a quickie! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and that Santa bought you something nice! I am away on holiday but I added a few photos of David Beckham and his family heading out of Claridges (courtesy of Just Jared) where they have been staying in London, as well as one taken of David and Victoria a couple of days earlier after a hard days shopping as they headed of to the stylish Asia de Cuba restaurant in Covent Garden where they dined with George Michael more about this here. I also added a few more photos of Becks earlier today, from his last match to the gallery. There's also a Christmas snap of Becks and Roberto Carlos by the Real Madrid Christmas Tree on the Real Madrid site if you haven't seen it. Normal updates will resume next month but I'll add photos if and when I get a chance! Have a Happy New Year everyone :-)

Well as we go into the Christmas Break, the rumors and speculation continue unabated. Many papers are carrying stories such as this one from The Sun about Real Madrid's new signings and predictions of their impact on David Beckham, especially the arrival of Gago. The Telegraph are reporting comments from Becks former United team mate Dwight Yorke about his hopes that Becks will return to England and several US publications are "eyeing up" the money the Glazers have announced they have set aside for a "superstar" and speculating as to who the superstar might be (story here). Can you guess?

The Evening Standard ran an article on why they think Becks might be headed Stateside but they did not include Italy's SerieA in their ruminations. David Beckham himself as you may recall was very clear in a press conference at the end of October that he would not consider a January move but this does not slow the rumor mill down, as it hums along. I also wrote (and I've fixed the tags that made it hard to read) an article about Becks possible options but whatever your opinion as to the best and most likely destination for David Beckham in 2007, I'm sure we all hope that it will be a much better year! So here's wishing a Merry Christmas to David, Victoria, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz and to all of you - a very cool Yule - thanks for stopping by over the last six months, and here's a cute little Christmas story from Victoria! Happy Holidays -- Anna

Hi there *waves* I'm away from my regular computer and I don't have broadband access or the ability to easily translate sites at the moment but as far as I can tell from Marca and from the following note that appeared on The Times website 15 minutes ago and reads -

David Beckham, the Real Madrid midfield player, was due back in London yesterday having been excused a benefit game against Atlético Madrid, because of a tendon injury

David Beckham was not in fact in the squad that went to play the Jesus Gil Trophy. Which just might explain why I haven't found any photos. It is interesting to see that The Times has included this note at the bottom of a story that does not even mention Becks in the headline. The Press are so quick to exaggerate a non-story but very slow and quiet when it comes to correcting their errors. May all the members of the sports media who wrote yesterday's headlines, receive a lump of coal for Christmas, I think when Santa looks at the naughty or nice list, he will find they are on the former.

According to The Sun David Beckham will appear on the Blue Peter Special on Boxing Day. If you're in the UK check your TV Guides - half the things The Sun says turn out not to be true -- Anna

David Beckham has been named in the squad to play the Jesus Gil Memorial Trophy II. The benefit match will be held at Atlético Madrid’s Vicente Calderón stadium at 9pm Dec 22. It is in honor of Atletico's late president. The Times and others british papers have suggested David Beckham's inclusion is a punishment and whilst some first team regulars have not been named in the squad, they fail to point out that players such as Casillas, Cannavaro, Raul, Guti etc have, so Becks has not been singled out and he is not the only foreign national included. The Times Story here. There is also coverage in The Sun and The Telegraph. I suspect the press are making more of this than is necessary, perhaps it was a slow news day? Here's wishing Becks and the rest of the squad an enjoyable match, perhaps it will give them a chance to go into the Christmas holidays on an improved note as their last game was a sad occasion.

If, like me, you are sick of the negative press and their endless speculation and exaggeration, and want to read something upbeat, there is a nice article online in which Ryan Giggs reminisces about the treble winning youth team of 1992 which of course included Becks!

In a match heavy with emotion, played under the worst possible circumstances, and with tragic off-field events perhaps affecting the on-field events more than can be easily measured, Recreativo Huelva earned a much deserved victory. It will be little comfort to those grieving but it was a display of heart, inspired by a need to pay tribute to those fans who died or were injured in a bus accident, less than 24 hours before the match. Real Madrid's players seemed to bring no sense of purpose to the game. They played without heart and as if they could not bear to increase Recreativo's pain.

David Beckham played better than many in a white shirt but the team was collectively below their best. It was good to see Becks start again, as several people have rightly posted in the comment area, Capello's approach to selection makes earning a place in the starting eleven difficult for those players whose place in the team is not set in stone. It was interesting to see that Diarra and Cassano clearly agree that Capello is not selecting the team on form, making it hard for a starting berth to be earnt on merit. Their comments to this affect were caught on camera last week, and it has been reported that they were left out of the squad because of this - full details here, although Capello says this is not the case. You can view their comments here. This may impact on David Beckham in terms of the competition he faces to start but also it points to an unhappy dressing room and clearly there is dissent in the ranks, this will not aid Real Madrid's chances of taking any honors, unfortunately. Capello needs to select players based on form not favoritism and when the players can see this is the case, then spirit within the team will improve and reports of disciplinary measures being necessary to keep players in line, will cease.

The official match report and photos are online. I will place the first of the agency photo's in the gallery

It is a sad way for several reasons to go into the break. I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season with your loved ones. Updates to the site will be less frequent over the break and will return to normal January 3 -- Anna

Update: Apologies! I just realised I left off the question mark from my earlier post title *blush* - but hopefully you read what I wrote in my whole post earlier and knew the postponement was requested - but there was no definite news. Sorry about that. The decision is in and the match will go on, there will be a minutes silence and Cannavaro's celebration will also be delayed.

This announcement has just been published on the Real Madrid Site

In the wake of the serious traffic accident which caused the deaths of several Huelva fans who were traveling to Madrid to attend Wednesday's match between Recreativo and Real Madrid, as well as numerous injuries, this Club expresses its deep sorrow and solidarity with the families of the deceased and injured, the Huelva supporters, and Recreativo Huelva, and is available to give any needed assistance when requested. Furthermore, Real Madrid will accept any decision made by the proper authorities regarding the holding of the match

This is a terrible tragedy and my heartfelt sympathy goes out to the families and the fans, what a sad day.

David Beckham was expected to play tonight the squad list is online. However Reuters have reported that the Recreativo Huelva bosses are calling for the match to be called off, understandably, and Real Madrid have of course expressed their willingness to accept the decision of the authorities. I'll post any definite news that I see.

P.S There is also a free to everyone clip of Becks reaction to the Champions League Draw on the main Real Madrid site, it was loaded yesterday if you haven't already seen it you can view it here.

The Times has reported that David Beckham has insured himself for a record 100 million pounds, read the full story here. If you exchange this into US Dollars, Becks is the 195 Million dollar man, hey someone should make a TV show with something like that for a title... you think? :)

This is an understandable precaution given the circumstances as outlined in the article and of course further fuels speculation that Becks will not renew his contract with Real Madrid. However, Sam Allardyce, Bolton Manager, has said he doesn't think Becks will leave Real Madrid, although if he did he would love to see him play for Bolton. Don't go holding your breath there Sam! Guillem Balaque, La Liga pundit, is predicting Becks will renew with Real Madrid in February, check out his full column on skysport, it was good to read the comment below, let's hope he is right!

I've seen Beckham train during the week and there is nobody who can give the ball to Ronaldo or pick out a run from Van Nistelrooy or Reyes better than Beckham.

He and Guti are both needed in the side for the quality of their passing and I think Capello has realised that now

Also, I've added a few scans of Becks when he was a cute little boy to the books and magazines gallery

Update: The last public training session before the Christmas break was held today details and a record 3 photos of Becks are online here it's nice after so often getting none or one photo of Becks from training to see him included... is this a sign that the Real Madrid website might be going to feature him a little more in the new year? I hope so, the lack of press conferences and photo coverage has been dire during the first half of the season.

Just a quick post! It was nice to see after a week in which the press tried to read a lot into something Sir Alex Ferguson didn't say, that they are now reporting his comments about David Beckham's planned return to Old Trafford for a charity match on March 13, here's an excerpt from what he did say, full story and more quotes here.

I think it's fantastic. I think he was a great player at this club and he never had a chance to say goodbye to the fans because the transfer was done during the summer. I think he will get a great welcome and deservedly so.

There are a few more pics in the DVD Captures Gallery from David Beckham: A footballers Story, unfortunately the resolution is a little...well to be specific...crap! Still, Becks looks gorgeous, just a little bit fuzzier than I would like!

Update: Although Becks was not playing this weekend's La Liga game because of suspension, Real Madrid won 1-0 through a Strike by Ruud to stay in touch with the top of the table. Match Report here.

Earlier in the week there was a tournament held at The David Beckham Academy in London which was attended by Paul Gascoigne, Ray Winstone and others, at the time I wondered if Becks was in attendance but the photos from the event showed other celebrities and not Becks so I thought he might not have been able to attend. However there is an article in The Sun with the above picture which they say was taken as he left the tournament Thursday - they also say he looked annoyed when he was leaving but well...he looks great to me! The slight frown is probably due to the presence of the papparazzi!

There is also a new pic of David Beckham on the Real Madrid site and as Becks is suspended this week I will add some more DVD caps on Sunday because we're not going to have any match pictures of Becks this week. I don't want anyone going into withdrawal!

The Draw for the next stage of the Champions League is out and Real Madrid have drawn Bayern Munich the first leg of the tie will take place Feb 21/22 at the Bernabeu with the return leg scheduled for 6/7 March. You can read reactions to the draw here. David Beckham said:

I'm happy with the draw. It will be a tough match, but I'm satisfied nevertheless. It will be a special game for me because it will make me remember the Champions League final I won against them when I was at United. I have a good feeling about this.

Yesterday Real Madrid had their Christmas lunch - report and photos online here. Also in keeping with the Christmas spirit David Beckham and the rest of the Real Madrid football and Basketball first teams visited local hospitals to give presents to the sick children and brighten up their Christmas.Story here.

Finally, David Beckham commissioned Sacha Jaffri to create a painting represesenting different aspects of his life to be auctioned off for charity and it was sold last night for 125,000 pounds! Story here. Jaffri's had the following to say about Becks -

I thought David would be aloof and hard to get hold of but he was really approachable, warm and much more involved and enthusiastic than I thought he would be. I didn't really expect it but he was really co-operative. He got in touch to say, 'I think it's really cool and I want to help'. It was something that he really cared about.

I have just added a gallery for captures I've grabbed from David Beckham DVD's. First up I've added the four albums of caps I made from Bye Bye Becks a couple of months ago and the first of the screenies from David Beckham: A Footballer's Story.

I have also been meaning to mention two other recent additions to the photo gallery. Firstly we have the Iker Casillas Gallery which has some old pictures of Iker Casillas and David Beckham hanging together and also a few photos of Iker training and playing for Real Madrid. Secondly I've added the David Beckham shopping gallery and this includes some photos from yesterday of Becks out shopping in Madrid and trying very hard to keep a low profile, with the hoodie over the cap look. The media of course have taken the "california" sweatshirt with the "NY" cap as a sign that Becks is in a US state of mind. They're just clothes, alright, already!

Well it's 12 days until Christmas!! So I thought I would put a couple of Christmas Cards I made in the ecard gallery Just click on the send as ecard link if you want to send a little Christmas cheer to a friend :) Nothing says Merry Christmas like Becks in a Santa hat! So Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hannukah to all of you, may you and yours be safe and well during the season of goodwill! -- Anna

Update Latest training write up and photos are online.

Julia Cartwright, the mother of Ollie Cartwright, who was Britain's child of courage at last month's Pride of Britain awards, has left the following note on the site about the experience of meeting David Beckham -

I went to Madrid to Meet David Beckham with my little boy, Ollie Cartwright, he was just so lovely. We were told that he would not meet me and that he would only have five minutes to spare to meet Ollie but none of that turned out to be the case he was very happy to chat to me and spent over half an hour with Ollie, He had clearly done his homework on Ollie and he was absolutly amazing the way he was at ease with Ollie and made Ollie feel at ease. He made Ollie's year and had even invited us to go back and meet him again only this time the whole family. What a absolutly lovely man who is clearly a big family man too. Best of luck to him in whatever direction his career takes him.

Thanks very much for leaving this note and all the best to you and your brave son, here's hoping you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!

You can see the photos of Julia and Ollie meeting Becks last month on the Real Madrid site There is also a news item on the Real Madrid site about Becks reaching 104 caps in the Primera Liga and also a new clip on the front page called "First Team Agenda until year end" which includes some footage of Becks and the team in training. Can anyone tell me who bounces the ball against David Beckham's head? I think it's Iker but I'm really not sure :)

Update @ 2pm: Todays training session write up and pictures online here.

There is an interview with Gary Lineker on as.com to mark David Beckham over-taking Gary Lineker's record for the most Primera Liga appearances by an englishman. I don't speak spanish unfortunately but using the google translate option there are a couple of interesting comments which the english language media have not picked up in their reports. Firstly, the AS.com interviewer states that Real Madrid have had 17 offers for David Beckham. That's good, the more options the better! Gary Lineker also says that David Beckham is a great player and he would have liked to have had him in his team. Most of his comments can be viewed in english here.

Speaking of the 17 offers, there is more news this morning about Inter Milan's interest, story here, and in recent days there has also been talk that Juventus would also like to sign Becks.

I hadn't been keeping count and I was hoping that Becks would be able to start again next weekend and keep this great run of form going, but the booking he picked up against Sevilla was his fifth of the season and so he is banned for one game now. It is a shame because the game report in The Indepedent singles out David Beckham's performance for special praise and he has been earning accolades for his form from many sources.

Becks has now made 104 appearances for Real Madrid in La Liga, one more than his countryman Gary Lineker, this makes him the englishman who has played the most games in the Spanish first division, story here.

David Beckham signed shirt contest

Thanks to all of you who entered the contest. It was difficult to select a winner and we really wished we had more shirts. I'd like to say thanks again to Ben for generously donating the shirt and making this possible.

Congratulations to Kristen, who won the signed David Beckham shirt, she has kindly allowed us to post her entry

I always was a fan of soccer but became a Beckham fan when I was getting picked on in school I mean they said I was going to be nothing and other stuff. I was so upset and depressed and didn't want to do anything. So I started watching soccer and I saw Beckham and just fell in love with the game and him. I did some research on him and learned about all his highs and lows. When I saw he was sent off in the 1998 world cup then he became captain of England that was amazing to me. He helped me realize that you can get knocked down over and over again just not to let anything bother you and prove others wrong and that you can do anything you want as long as you put your mind to it. So I did. That's why I'm a beckham fan.

David Beckham started and scored a fantastic goal with a 25 yard freekick to give Real Madrid an early lead but unfortunately Sevilla, who remain unbeaten at home, were able to equalise and in the 77th minute went ahead. I think a draw would have been a fairer result but football can be a frustrating game! The official match report and photos are online here and I have put the first few photos in the gallery. You can download a windows media player clip of the goal from http://www.realmadrid-ae.com/goals/sevilla0-madrid1.zip just right click on the link and select save target as, then unzip the file. It's an awesome goal.

David Beckham is going to be returning to Old Trafford to play for a Euopean XI coached by Marcello Lippi against Manchester United for a Jubilee charity match in March, all the details here. I am sure the Old Trafford faithful will give him a rousing Manchester reception! Thanks to <3 for posting about this, I appreciate all your news and photo contributions!

David Gill, Manchester United Chief Executive was quoted in teamtalk as saying -

"It is wonderful that David is coming back,"

"He was a very important factor in our success throughout the 1990s and early into the 2000s.

"He is one of the best players the club has had and it is great to have him back."

Finally, Becks was named as a "comeback kid with bouncebackability" in this article about the men of the week the article praises Becks last two performances and you can certainly add his outstanding play against Seville to the list!

Update: According to Goal.com Fabio Capello has indicated that David Beckham will start tonight against Sevilla! There were reports earlier in the week that David Beckham was expected to start and perhaps to even get a run of games now. Becks would be pleased to be starting an important La Liga game, so I hope this is correct. However, the Real Madrid site says that Reyes spot on the pitch is all but gauranteed and does not mention David Beckham. I am going to keep my fingers crossed that all the reports this week that Becks would start will be proven true.

I have also posted some thoughts about the recent rumors and speculation surrounding David Beckham's career you can read the article here and post your own thoughts in the comments section of this news item. Just click on comments, select the anonymous option and click on the login or publish button, this will publish your comment - you don't have to log in btw!

Following on from the nice comments Ronaldo made about David Beckham after Wednesday's Champion Leagues match, Ronaldo gave a press conference Thursday here is a nice excerpt:

Q: You and Beckham understood each other very well last night.
A: David is also a very important part of this team. I don't have to talk about his football skills. I feel great on the pitch and we understand each other to perfection. He can put in some incredible crosses. (Source)

There is also a write up of yesterday's training and a photo of Becks on the official site.

Finally, another quick reminder that today is the last day for you to enter our "David Beckham signed shirt" contest, to enter send an email saying when you became a fan of David Beckham's to anna@fans-online.com

The official match report and photos are now online. David Beckham had a great game and was integral to salvaging the draw as Ronaldo's first goal and the only Real Madrid goal from open play, came from a David Beckham corner. Becks also went incredibly close to scoring himself from 20 yards but the shot was unfortunately deflected off the woodwork. He also put in a number of excellent crosses that went frustratingly close to being converted, including a cross only moments from full-time that would have given Real Madrid the win, but it was not to be. Uefa referred to David Beckham as "Madrid's standout performer" in their match report (source) but I can not find any comments of praise from Capello. However, Ronaldo was quick to praise him for his instrumental role in helping the team earn a share of the spoils (Source)

"David is a player that understands me completely," he cadded. "Without looking forward he knows where I want the ball and I understand what he is going to do."

The first of the agency pics are in the gallery. Unfortunately there are less photos of Becks than usual from the match and I was expecting the opposite because Becks started the game. Perhaps they're just slow coming out today, I'll go check :-)

There are a few photos of David Beckham training and arriving in Kiev ahead of tonight's game, in the gallery. Here's hoping he has a wonderful game tonight!

David Beckham has again topped the football players rich list for 2006 details here.

Calderon has been interviewed ahead of the game and said of David Beckham

(Source) Beckham is an exceptional player on and off the pitch. I would like him to sign on for the rest of his career. He has never complained about being benched and his charm and caring always shine through.

It's always nice to read praise for Becks, still actions speak louder than words and Calderon seems to be all talk.

Blackburn fans would like David Beckham to join the Blackburn Rovers (story here) but they will have to get in line behind the Inter Milan and LA Galaxy fans as their clubs seem to be rumored as more likely destinations for David Beckham - if he is in fact going to transfer at all. I'm not making any predictions myself - my crystal ball is in the shop. -- Anna

Updated: There are photos of the squad departing for Kiev on the Real Madrid site. Including a cute one of Becks.

Just a quick reminder that entries for the signed David Beckham Shirt contest close this Friday click here for the details of how to enter.

David Beckham, as expected, is in the squad that will travel to Kiev to play Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League tomorrow. He undertook light training yesterday after Sunday night's match but unfortunately there weren't any clear photos. Hopefully he will start on Wednesday and get a full game. Tribal football are saying he will start the next two matches for Real Madrid but they do not give a source. Still, I'm hoping they are right and that he will also start this weekend's liga match against Seville.

In other news, The Sun have Becks transferring to Inter Milan who are rumored to have offered him an extremely attractive deal, while the rest of the tabloid press have Victoria house-hunting in LA ahead of their imminent move to the US.

Real Madrid are now only 1 point away from La Liga leaders Barcelona! David Beckham was bought on as a substitute at half-time and as hoped not only got some decent playing time but also had a great game in the centre of midfield, perhaps we will see him used there more, as his passing was instrumental in improving Real Madrid's attack. Real Madrid certainly picked up the intensity after the break and had a much better second half. Becks was wearing his new Adidas "swerve" white, silver and gold boots today and perhaps they are going to bring him better fortune than his blue ones did! Becks is not superstitious but I am :-)

Becks post match comments can be read here. It is interesting to see that he is denying a possible move Stateside so perhaps that isn't on the cards? Whatever decision he makes, I only hope it will be the right one for him and that he will get sufficient playing time to be happy.

Other headlines included:

Beckham Central to Real's Win
Source: The Times

Beckham help's keep Real in hunt
Source: The Guardian

Beckham back at the heart of things
Source: The Telegraph

I am just thrilled to see Becks getting some overdue praise and positive vibes, I really hope it will buoy him up and be the beginning of a better time for him.

The official match report and photos are online at RealMadrid.com and the first of the photos are in the gallery, hopefully more of the agencies will have photos tomorrow -- Anna

This morning The Sunday Mirror has a story about David Beckham's artistic leanings. Becks was very good at art at school and a few years ago a picture of a greyhound that he drew while he was a trainee at Manchester United was auctioned. This article suggests that drawing is something Becks would like to devote more time to when he retires from professional football. The article also includes some quotes from Becks taken from an interview given to El Mundo where Becks talks about watches and cars.

The Sunday People are running a small piece about further tension between Becks and Real Madrid, with Becks supposedly failing to attend the opening of Real Madrid's new sport store this week, as the club expected. The story is probably invented but if it's true, I for one would sympathise with Becks if he isn't interested in helping the clubs commercial ventures under the current situation. It would be more than understandable if he had grown tired of being used for marketing initiatives but not given a fair deal as a player.

Anyway, let's hope he gets some decent playing time tonight -- Anna

Fabio Capello gave an interview to AS yesterday here is an excerpt (full interview)

Q: Beckham will also eventually get tired of being a substitute player?
A: Beckham is not a substitute player. He is a true professional. He's perfect. He will play when there's room for him, and there will be, believe me, because the season is very long. I have a standard line-up right now that more or less works. Beckham must wait. I want you to know that I have personally asked for his contract extension.

This quote does my head in. You can not say he's not a substitute player in one breath and then say he will only be first choice when others are not available for one reason or another over the course of a long season. This is a politicians answer. It is the answer someone that can not be trusted gives. However on one count I do find myself agreeing with Capello and that is that David Beckham is perfect! This is why he deserves a fair opportunity to compete for a starting place and why when he has played well he should be rewarded with more than 10 minutes play as a substitute. Yes Beckham is a true professional but is Capello?

In the same issue of AS there was a column which also discussed Beckham's future. (Full Column)

Beckham is thinking about leaving, because he does not play. His contract runs out in June, the club wants to discuss renewing it, Capello says (in an interview with AS only yesterday) that he has personally asked for the contract to be renewed, but the truth is that Beckham does not play. So he thinks about leaving. From the first of January he can listen to offers and negotiate with other clubs. I suspect he will leave and I regret it. I understand those who consider his value to be mainly as a media and marketing icon, but I see a player who has been touched by an angel, a soldier with an exquisite right touch. The type of soccer player that brings the fans from their houses and into the stadium, that causes debates, that makes soccer exciting.

I have translated this from spanish to english using google so it may not be perfect. It is really good to see Becks getting some much needed and deserved support from the media. I am sure there will be many people who will miss him if he is forced to leave because of the playing situation.

David Beckham is on the squad list for tomorrow's game, let's hope he gets some decent game time, with the current injury situation Capello should utilise him.