05 October 2023 , 17:45
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David Beckham has revealed how he was brutally axed from the Real Madrid team by Fabio Capello after the ex-England boss got wind of an offer for the superstar from LA Galaxy.
The famously stern Italian coach would lead Los Blancos to a dramatic title triumph over arch rivals Barcelona during 2006-07, with the Beckham eventually playing a pivotal role. However, their union required a repair following a mid-season fall out over the star's plans to depart the Santiago Bernabeu.
By the time Capello arrived in the Spanish capital for a second spell at the helm in 2006, Beckham was entering the final year of his contract. Despite playing 124 times for the club during the previous four years, Capello needed to be convinced of the former England captain's quality.
He instilled a strict regime after taking over the reigns from previous coach Juan Ramón López Caro and did not reserve any special treatment for the club's "Galiticos". In fact, both Beckham and Brazilian icon Ronaldo saw their game time reduced as he put his stamp on the team.
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In the four-part Netflix docuseries "Beckham", Capello's stance on the players he inherited is detailed, with the ex-Juventus coach's methods explored. After the team had gone trophyless since Beckham's arrival, he set about stopping the rot.
It is revealed that he said: "The Galacticos are players from another universe. They arrive from the stars to a club, which is great motivation for the opponents to beat them. So I had to fix that."
Reflecting on being banished from the team, Beckham recalled: "He was like a tough, strict manager, which I loved. He made me nervous and I don’t get nervous,'" adding "He benched both of us. It killed me. At that point I wasn’t sure of my future at Real Madrid."
Fabio Capello and David Beckham had a mercurial relationship during their single season together at Real Madrid (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)Following on from this, his absence from the Madrid starting line-up had piqued the interest of clubs around the world, including future employers LA Galaxy. However the Italian boss soon got wind of the star's talks with the MLS outfit.
Beckham said: "On Monday morning, Capello called me into his office and said 'I heard you're talking to other clubs, you will never play for Real Madrid again'. Obviously at that point I was very upset."
Eventually, however, the disciplinarian coach decided to relax his stance, after players including Roberto Carlos begged him to reverse the decision. Trailing Barcelona considerably in La Liga by this point, Beckham's reintroduction to the team could not have been more timely.
In the end, the England legend would feature in seven out of Los Blancos' last eight fixtures in the league as they pipped Barcelona to the post. Winning La Liga on the basis of their head-to-head record, it meant that Beckham would bow out from Madrid in style.