Transition time for David Beckham?

By Andrew James Jan 11, 2007, 11:53 GMT

A 10th April 2005 file photo of English soccer player David Beckham playing for Real Madrid against FC Barcelona in Madrid. The club\'s director Predrag Mijatovic announced Wednesday 10th January 2007 that the former England captain will leave the club in the Summer. EPA/Victor Lerena

London - Fabio Capello's decision to leave out Ronaldo and David Beckham for a Spanish cup match set for later Thursday appears to mark the end of an era at Real Madrid.

The Brazil striker Ronaldo and former England midfielder Beckham could fade into insignificance at least from a global football point of view within the next months.

Ronaldo, 32, has been linked with Saudi Arabia club al-Ittihad and Beckham, who turns 32 this year, with US side Los Angeles Galaxy.

'The brutal end of two football gods,' said Germany's Bild daily on Thursday.

Neither player has so far been axed for good, but dropping the overweight Ronaldo and below-par Beckham for the cup game at Real Betis clearly signalled the future plans of beleaguered Real coach Capello.

'Capello's squad was not simply a list of names to face Betis, it was a declaration of intent,' said British paper The Guardian.

Real have not won a trophy of any kind in three years and change is needed, marking the end of the 'Galacticos' era at the club.

'Zinedine Zidane has retired. Luis Figo was traded to Inter Milan. Ronaldo is overweight, out of shape and, according to reports, is about to be shipped out the door,' said the Los Angeles Times.

'Beckham still has some cachet, even though Fabio Capello, Real's Italian coach, sees him playing only a limited role more a marketing figure than a soccer force.'

That's what Beckham could in fact be reduced to, even though he still hopes to land another contract at a big club and to get back into the England team he was dropped from swiftly after the 2006 World Cup by new manager Steve McLaren.

A move to the LA Galaxy would further drop his international value as a player, creating only a local frenzy just like a possible Ronaldo move to Saudi Arabia.

The LA media was abuzz with the news Thursday amid reports that Galaxy owners were in talks with the Beckham camp.

'Now it appears the future is Los Angeles, home of one of his soccer academies and, no doubt, the preferred choice of wife Victoria,' said said British mass circulation paper The Sun.

'Beckham is no doubt attracted by doing for the American game what Pele and Franz Beckenbauer first attempted with the New York Cosmos back in the Seventies.'

The Sun reported that Victoria is house-hunting in preparation for a summer move and that the former Spice Girl is keen to promote her fashion line in the US.

Her husband will be able to market his image rights at the Galaxy, The Sun said, generating millions of dollars which are likely to pour in after his career as well.

'She feels there are lots of new opportunities for her and David there,' a source said to be close to Victoria was quoted as saying by The Sun.

The LA Times also suggested that the move to California could largely be decided by issues outside football.

'If he can somehow morph from soccer star to movie star and if he and his wife, Victoria formerly singer Posh Spice of the Spice Girls can swap the European jet set for the Hollywood jet set, that might be enough to tip the scales,' the LA Times said.