Troubles in Spain may force Beckham to leave

MADRID, Spain — It seemed like the perfect match: soccer’s most celebrated star playing for the world’s most glamorous club.

Ten months after David Beckham joined Real Madrid, a question looms: What went wrong?

This was a team boasting the likes of Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos of Brazil, Zinadine Zidane of France, Luis Figo of Portugal and Raul Gonzalez of Spain. Into the mix stepped Beckham, the England captain and cultural icon.

After a decent start, he has slumped. Off the field, his image as devoted family man has been sullied. Regarded as the world’s best team at the start of the season, Real Madrid will finish without a major title for the first time since 1999.

Spanish and English newspapers suggest he might return to England to join Chelsea and its billionaire president.

Beckham is also said to want to rejoin his wife, the former Spice Girl Victoria, and sons Brooklyn and Romeo — they remained in England rather than move to Spain. But Beckham insists he is not going anywhere.

“People say there are problems and I want to go back to England, but all the speculation surrounding a move back home is rubbish,” he said in a recent interview with The News of the World, a London-based tabloid. “There is absolutely no question of me putting in a transfer request. Why would I?”

Beckham was sold to Real Madrid by Manchester United for about $40 million, and reports suggest it might cost Chelsea $70 million to buy him. Madrid president Florentino Perez reportedly is eager to rebuild the team and may sell Beckham to raise funds.

Publicly, Madrid says it intends to keep Beckham for at least one more season. The 29-year-old star has three years left on his contract,

“We’re happy with him,” Madrid sports director Jorge Valdano said.

The Englishman’s game revolves around his precise, twisting free kicks and his ability to cross from the right side. With Figo already there, Beckham was shifted to central midfield. Many doubt he is right for the job.

“He doesn’t think quickly enough for a central midfielder,” said Luis Aragones, the coach at Mallorca.

Beckham started well, dispelling suspicions he primarily was a marketing tool. He scored in his home debut in the preseason Supercup, then scored again with the new league season just 3 minutes old.

He willingly talked with the media and became an instant hit with Madrid fans, signing autographs and posing for photos.

But as the season moved on, Beckham struggled. His last league goal came Nov. 23. His discomfort grew in March when Madrid began a dramatic slide that cost it all three major season competitions: the European Champions League, Spanish championship and Spanish King’s Cup.

Then came the media frenzy over an alleged affair with a former personal assistant. She went on TV in England and sold her story to British tabloids. Reports of other affairs surfaced.

Said Valdano: “Our opinion is that he has generally played at a high level and his signing was a positive one.”

Another question remains: How long will that opinion last?