Beckham will play for Real Madrid on Sunday

The English player has had a yellow card cancelled, meaning he can play against Sevilla in the important league game

The Spanish authorities have cancelled a yellow card issued against David Beckham which means the Real Madrid player can take his place in the important league game against Sevilla in the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday.

Beckham was given the card during the match against Athletic, but following video evidence and the declaration of the Brazilian player Cicinho, the Competition Committee has cancelled it.

Sevilla complain that Real Madrid is being favoured by the Spanish Football Federation.

It’s of note how the Real Madrid manager, Fabio Capello, has gone from saying Beckham will never wear a Real Madrid shirt again, to counting on the player.

SIR BOBBY: BECKHAM MOTIVATION HAS GONE.

David Beckham´s lack of motivation to continue playing at the highest level prompted his move to America, according to former England manager Sir Bobby Robson.

Robson is convinced the decision of national boss Steve McClaren to overlook the Real Madrid midfielder for the Euro 2008 qualifier in Croatia last October, despite a long injury list, convinced Beckham his days at the top were numbered. And the 73-year-old believes that was the first step on a road which has eventually led Beckham to LA Galaxy.

"The decision killed Beckham´s aspiration and hope and, in my view, led directly to this week´s announcement that he is off the the United States for a very lucrative semi-retirement," Robson claimed in his column for the Mail on Sunday.

Real boss criticises Beckham for signing US deal.

Real Madrid boss Fabio Capello still has not spoken to David Beckham about his decision to join LA Galaxy.

Capello is upset that Beckham signed a five-year deal before telling Real and the former England captain has been told he will not play for the club again.

Capello said: "He signed his contract before he spoke with Madrid and for me that doesn't seem right."

Beckham did not break any rules because players are free to talk to sign deals when they have less than six months left on their existing contracts.

But Capello is also concerned that Beckham is no longer committed to Real because he has a lucrative deal in the US.

He added: "I believe that if a player already has a contract elsewhere then it is not correct to count on him anymore. I still haven't spoken to him."

Beckham watched Real Madrid's game against Real Zaragoza from the private boxes on Sunday, but his team-mate Ruud van Nistelrooy revealed after the game that he is still on good terms with the squad.

Van Nistelrooy said: "Before the game he was in the dressing room, wishing us well, it was good to see. His attitude is always good, caring for the team, for the club. That's what he will keep doing.

"As players we care for each other and feel for one another if things happen that are not nice for another one. That's what I had with David.

"We try to support him, be there for him as much as we can. We can't change what has happened unfortunately."

Beckham Close To Real Decision.

David Beckham appears to be close to reaching a decision over whether or not he should stay at Real Madrid and accept the Merengue renewal offer or if he should seek out one final challenge before hanging his boots up.

Although the time frame – Becks’ contract expires at the end of June 2007 – means that he can now approach and be approached by other clubs about future contracts, the English midfielder is giving priority to the White House.

"Last season we had talks about renewal but after that we changed President and then we changed Coach…there were a lot of changes and we had to start all over again but I’m sure it’s a subject that we’ll sort out very shortly”, he explained to Spanish mag ‘Futbolista'. (Footballer).

"My family and I are very happy living here in Madrid and I’m very happy playing for Real Madrid, and how my family feels is really important to me", stressed Beckham before going on to talk about a personal taboo that he’s still burning to break: the Merengue trophy drought.

Beckham’s arrival coincided with the beginning of a trophy drought that has lasted from the 2003-4 season to the current 2006-7 – something the midfielder wants to change before he leaves the Spanish capital.

"Personally I’d like to win La Liga, but a football player can’t say that he doesn’t want to win the Champions league even if he’s won it before. I don’t know what we’ll win but I do know that this year we have to win something", Beckham explained.

Beckham offered two-year Real deal.

Real Madrid have offered a two-year contract extension to David Beckham and will hold talks with the former England captain's representatives during the next two weeks.

"We have a definite offer on the table which is for two more years and is worth slightly more than his existing deal," Beckham's spokesman Simon Oliveira said on Wednesday.

"We will be sitting down in the next couple of weeks to discuss things, but one thing that can be assured is that it is 100 percent certain that David will not be leaving Real during the January transfer window.

"He is determined to play a full part for Real for the remainder of the season."

Beckham's contract with Real expires at the end of June and as of January 1 the 31-year-old has been free to talk to other clubs.

Several teams in England, Italy and the United States are reported to be interested in recruiting the midfielder.

Spanish and British media have said a possible new deal with Real Madrid was being held up because of a dispute over image rights with the club wanting to retain its present 50 percent share.

Oliviera denied that image rights were a stumbling block.

"Any decision that is going to be made will be a footballing decision," he said. "His worth needs to be recognized but that is not a make or break part of the process.

"No decision has been made at the moment but we hope that we will know what is happening by March."

Beckham was a fixture in the Real Madrid starting lineup in his first three seasons at the club, but he has lost his place since Fabio Capello took charge as coach at the start of the present campaign.

He has started just five of Real's 16 league games and appeared as a substitute in another seven.

Liverpool linked with Real's Beckham.

Liverpool's prospective owners Dubai International Capital (DIC) are keen on signing up Real Madrid's David Beckham, according to a newspaper report.

The Sunday People claims that the new owners feel a move for ex-Manchester United midfielder Beckham would reassure supporters that their bid is more than a short-term, money making exercise.

Beckham is out of contract at the end of the season and looks certain to leave the Bernabeu after failing to win over new boss Fabio Capello.

Los Angeles Galaxy and New York Red Bulls, and some Serie A clubs have already made contact with his agent, according to the News of the World.

Madrid president Ramon Calderon insists that he wants to keep the former England skipper: "After the conversations we have had in recent months, David Beckham already has our offer for a new contract on the table. Now he has to decide.

"All of us would like to see him continue at our club and extend his contract."

Real Madrid president: It's now up to Beckham.

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon says it's up to David Beckham to decide if he wants to play on at Santiago Bernabeu.

Real sports chief Pedja Mijatovic, having not heard from Becks nor his agents in the last week, contacted the England ace yesterday to organise a meeting for December 31 to discuss his contract. Real have offered Beckham a new two-year deal on the same salary - �4 million - plus a 50:50 split of his image rights.

For his part, Calderon said last night: "After the conversations that we have maintained in the last months, David Beckham already has our offer on the table. Now it is he who has to decide.

"We are very happy with David and we all would like that he continued with the club and that he renews his contract."

Madrid want Beckham 'for life'!

Real Madrid's club president Ramon Calderon wants David Beckham to stay at the club 'for life'.

Beckham's future has been the subject of much speculation since he began to enjoy less and less playing time at the Bernabeau this season but Calderon says he is a big fan of the former England captain.

'Beckham is an exceptional player on and off the pitch,' Calderon told the club's website.

'I would like him to sign on for the rest of his career.'

Calderon praised Beckham's attitude in regards to the recent selection policy of new coach Fabio Cappello, who has persistently named Beckham as a substitute since his arrival in the summer.

Under former coaches Juan Ramon Lopez Caro and Vanderlei Luxemburgo, Beckham was a regular on the right-hand side of the Madrid midfield but he has found himself somewhat frozen out under the charge of the Italian.

And Calderon believes Beckham's attitude since the arrival of Cappello has been exemplary.

'He has never complained about being benched,' the Real president added.

'His charm and caring always shine through.'

Beckham will be free to leave Real at the end of the season as his contract expires this summer. The likely destinations for the 31-year-old would appear to be a Premiership club in England or the MLS in the United States.

Beckham and Ronaldo back for Real Madrid.

David Beckham and Ronaldo are back in the Real Madrid squad announced on Saturday to face Athletic Bilbao at home in the Primera Liga on Sunday.

Beckham, the former England captain, has been suffering from an inflammation in the cartilage of his left knee that had kept him out of the last three games.

Beckham, who has yet to decide whether or not he will extend his contract with Real beyond the end of this season, has been in the starting line-up for just three of his side's 12 league matches this season.

Brazilian striker Ronaldo is also back after recovering from a strained knee ligament picked up in the King's Cup last month.

Real confident Beckham will stay in Madrid.

REAL Madrid sports director Predrag Mijatovic is confident that the club's serious challenge for honors this season will convince David Beckham to stay on in Spain.

The former England captain has not won a major trophy with Real since moving from Manchester United in 2003, as the club suffered a downturn in fortunes.

"He hasn't had much luck in the last three years because when he arrived at Real he thought he was going to win many trophies," Mijatovic said in an interview with Serbian radio station B-92 and the BBC.

"Now the situation is different and I think he is conscious of this."

With a new team of president Ramon Calderon and coach Fabio Capello installed, Real is looking a much stronger proposition this season. It is third in the Primera Liga, three points behind leader Barcelona, and still in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.

The main stumbling block to Beckham signing a contract extension is the fact that the 31-year-old has dropped out of favor with Capello. He has started only three out of 12 league games this season. "As far as I am aware, Beckham is happy here in Madrid. At the moment he isn't in the starting lineup but that's not to say that the situation won't have changed in a couple of weeks' time."

Meanwhile, Boca Juniors president Mauricio Macri said Real will have to increase its offer for Fernando Gago if it wants to sign the young Argentine midfielder.

Spanish media reports claim Real is prepared to pay between 15 and 20 million euros (US$19.79million-US$26.39m) for the highly rated 20-year-old, but Macri said that the nine-time European champion faced stiff competition from other clubs.

Beckham returns to training.

David Beckham returned to full training with Real Madrid on Wednesday after a two-week absence because of a left knee injury.

Beckham, who missed three games with a swollen meniscus, is expected to be ready for Sunday`s Spanish league game against Athletic Bilbao at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Oddsmakers have Real listed at 1/4 to win.

The 31-year-old midfielder has made the starting lineup in only three league games this season and appears likely to be on the substitute`s bench again.

Beckham`s lack of starts heightened speculation about whether he will extend his four-year contract, which expires in June.

If the former England captain doesn`t renew before the end of the year, he will be free to negotiate a move to other clubs. However, both Beckham and Madrid have indicated they hope to strike a new deal.

Madrid is in third place after 12 league games, three points behind defending champion FC Barcelona.

Real urged to drop Becks!

Real Madrid have been urged not to offer David Beckham a new contract by an anonymous board member at the Bernabeu.

Beckham has started only three of Real's last 14 games and contract negotiations between the club and the former England captain are believed to have stalled.

The 31-year-old's current deal expires in the summer, but the unnamed board member has urged the club to let the out-of-favour midfielder leave.

"We can't admit it but it would be best for both sides if Beckham left," he is quoted as saying in Spanish Football magazine Don Balon.

"Why would we invest £16million over two years on a player who is not to the liking of the coach?

"(Coach Fabio) Capello doesn't want him and (Beckham) can't carry on as things are, spending so much time on the bench because it would lose him some of his multi-million-pound advertising deals.

"It's no good for the club either, to have such a famous player on the sidelines like a ticking time-bomb."

Real Madrid agent admits Inter Milan move on for Beckham.

Real Madrid's Italian agent Enzo Bronzetti admits a move to Inter Milan could be on for David Beckham.

"This could happen, although I believe that Moratti will renew Luis Figo?s contract. Beckham could move to the United States, but in the end he may decide to stay with Real," said Bronzetti.

Bronzetti, meanwhile, does not think that Antonio Cassano will return to Italy.

"I think he will stay in Spain, there are no clubs interested in him. Milan do not need strikers, Massimo Moratti likes Antonio but I don?t think there will be any move for him. Furthermore, Antonio is not a player who would accept any team."

Guti and Roberto Carlos sign to stay at Real Madrid.

Real Madrid is to renew the contracts of both Guti and Roberto Carlos. Guti has signed until 2010 while the Brazilian has committed for a season more to June 2008, with an option for a further year extension. All the signings are expected to take place this week.

The EFE news agency reports that Guti has been given a 13% wage increase on the new contract, but details of the Robert Carlos contract have not been revealed.

Meanwhile talks on David Beckham remain reportedly on hold as the player fights to keep a first team place at the club.

Real allowed Beckham to go.

Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello has confirmed David Beckham's trip to Rome was sanctioned by the club - and that the former England captain had returned to training by Saturday morning.

Beckham travelled to Italy with wife Victoria on Friday to attend a pre-nuptial dinner with Hollywood stars Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, who married in nearby Bracciano on Saturrday.

It had initially been suggested the former England captain had defied Real in order to make the trip, while later reports declared the club had given him the green light to go.

Capello confirmed following the Primera Liga match with Racing Santander that Beckham had indeed been given permission to go to Italy.

The Italian coach also said the midfielder had been at the club's training ground that morning to continue his recovery from the knee injury which ruled him out of the Racing match.

"Beckham was in Rome with the permission of the club," said Capello.

"This morning he has been at Real Madrid City. We game him permission to travel, because the doctor said he could.

"He has not missed a single minute of his rehabilitation."

The midfielder did not attend the wedding ceremony between Cruise and Holmes, with his wife representing the couple in his absence.

Whether this whole episode will affect Beckham's future at Real Madrid remains to be seen.

He has yet to sign a new contract with Real - and with his current four-year deal running out next summer, he will be free to talk to other clubs in January.

Beckham crunch over Cruise wedding.

Real Madrid expects David Beckham to train with the team on Saturday instead of attending movie star Tom Cruise's wedding.

Beckham, who is ruled out of Saturday's league game at Racing Santander with a left knee injury, received Madrid's permission to visit Cruise and his fiancee Katie Holmes in Italy on Friday.

However, club rules insist the 31-year-old midfielder return and work on his fitness before attending the match at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, sports daily AS said.

"He's injured, he hasn't recovered and he has to train," Madrid coach Fabio Capello was quoted as saying.

Asked whether he was aware that Beckham would miss the wedding, Capello seemed unconcerned.

"That's not my problem," he said.

Speculation is mounting that Beckham's three and a half year stay with Madrid will end during the January transfer window.

The 31-year-old midfielder, whose contract ends in June, is stalling on Madrid's offer of a new deal due to his lack of first-team opportunities.

Britain's newspapers Saturday said the wedding incident increased the chances of Beckham leaving the club.

"Cruising for a bruising," read the front page headline of top-selling daily The Sun, adding that "Becks risks club row for wedding."

"Real Mad" said the Daily Mirror. Its editorial criticized Real Madrid for telling Beckham "to sit in the stand like a naughty little boy."

Beckham, who has only started three games this season, will be free to negotiate with other clubs if he hasn't renewed by January.

Speculation is rife that he could return to the English Premier League or move to a Major League Soccer club in the United States. MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy is among the clubs reportedly interested.

MLS recently changed its rules on salary caps, which would allow the former England captain to sign a lucrative deal. Beckham has a soccer academy in Los Angeles.

Beckham hasn't won a major trophy with Madrid since his arrival from Manchester United in 2003.

Beckham misses Racing chance.

David Beckham has been ruled of Real Madrid’s home match against Racing Santander tomorrow because of a knee injury.

The midfielder is suffering from an inflamed meniscus in his left knee and has been unable to take part in group training all week.

It remains to be seen if the former England captain will be fit in time for next Tuesday’s important Champions League match with Group E leaders Lyon.

Also missing from Fabio Capello’s 18-man squad for the game against Racing are injured Brazilian duo Ronaldo and Cicinho, plus striker Antonio Cassano, who has been overlooked.

Big names still snubbed.

David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Raul Gonzalez are three of Real Madrid's biggest stars.

All three have been snubbed by their national team coaches and can't find a way back.

Former England captain Beckham was dropped by Steve McClaren after the World Cup and, despite the absence of eight squad players due to injuries, there is no room for the Madrid midfielder for today's friendly against Netherlands in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Van Nistelrooy won't be there either, even though he scored four goals in Madrid's 4-1 Spanish league victory over Osasuna on Sunday.

Netherlands coach Marco van Basten dropped the striker after the World Cup and Van Nistelrooy has since said that he won't play for the national team as long as the former AC Milan soccer great is in charge.

Gonzalez, currently playing midfield on the right side for Madrid, has fallen out of favour with Spain's veteran coach Luis Aragones, whose team hosts Romania today. This is the second game Raul has missed, even though he is Spain's all-time leading scorer with 44 goals from 102 matches.

"With me he has never played as a right-sided midfielder," Aragones said. "Raul can play in any position, but in my opinion he is a second striker."

The games are among 17 friendlies being played alongside seven Euro 2008 qualifying games.

Three-time champion Germany seems to be cruising to the championship -- being co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland -- and is confident of making it four wins in four Group D games when it visits Cyprus. A victory will mean the Germans regain top spot from the Czech Republic, which hosts Denmark in a friendly today. The Cypriots, who have never come close to reaching one of soccer's big events, outplayed Ireland 5-2 in Group D action a month ago.

British bookmakers rate the Germans the 11-2 favourites to win Euro 2008. Germany has won five games in a row.

Portugal, the other World Cup losing semifinalist, is struggling to qualify, however. Luiz Felipe Scolari's team has never won a major soccer title and currently lies in fifth place in Group A, six points behind group leader Serbia, as it hosts Kazakhstan in Coimbra, Portugal.

In other Group A games, second-place Finland should be confident of beating next-to-last Armenia at home. Belgium and Poland, just behind the top two, face each other in Brussels, Belgium.

The other two Euro 2008 games -- Israel-Croatia and Macedonia-Russia -- are both in Group E and the results could cause major problems for England.

England could slip to fourth if Israel and Croatia tie. England, Croatia, Israel and Macedonia each have seven points and Russia five.

Real waiting on Beckham.

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon remains hopeful David Beckham will remain at the Bernabeu - despite admitting three new players are likely to arrive in January.

Teenage defender Marcelo was unveiled as a Real player today and will definitely be moving to the Spanish capital in the new year.

Calderon also revealed Madrid had reached agreements to bring Gonzalo Higuain and Fernando Gago to the club.

The only question to be resolved is when River Plate striker Higuain, 18, and Boca Juniors midfielder Gago, 20, come to the club - be it in January or next summer.

Becks bothered by knee problem.

David Beckham is struggling with a problem to his left knee, and he remained in the gym alongside injured striker Ronaldo while the majority of their team-mates took part in a group practice session.

Beckham played the final seven minutes of Sunday's league match at Osasuna, which Real won 4-1 to climb back up to third in the table.

Real's next match is against Racing Santander at the Bernabeu on Saturday.