Real begin their La Liga campaign against Villarreal on 27 August but Beckham is not certain of a first-team place.
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But Beckham may well feel digging his heels in affords him the opportunity of negotiating the most favourable route out of Old Trafford.
But Beckham has won the country's sympathy vote and may be prepared to stick around if he cannot be persuaded by Barcelona, and Real fail to come up with a suitable deal.
But Beckham's untimely injury will mean he will also miss the chance to win a championship in a third different country, having claimed glory with United and Real in England and Spain.
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People say they should give it to Gary Neville or John Terry but Beckham has had it a while and he has done OK so it is not a big decision for me.
At the time of the initial statement, there was the offer of an appearance in a farewell friendly match but Beckham did not consider it at that stage because he felt he still had an England future.
He will have been heartened by an upbeat message from Capello about his future England prospects, but Beckham will be 36 by the time of their next major tournament after the World Cup, assuming they qualify for Euro 2012.
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But Beckham has proven everyone wrong.
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He has suffered a slight drop in income compared to 2009, partly due to the falling value of the dollar, but Beckham has been in the top two of the list for the past nine years to show his enduring appeal.
Television viewing figures are rising only slowly from low levels, but Mr Beckham's star power has helped legitimise the league, encouraging other stars to follow (such as Thierry Henry of France) and leading to an influx of investment in new clubs in Seattle, Portland and, in Canada, Toronto and Vancouver.
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Mitten said it would be sad to lose Beckham but the media attention he attracted had reached "ridiculous" levels.
During his time at Real Madrid, Capello initially dropped Beckham but recalled him to play an instrumental role in his title-winning team.
But over time, Beckham again became a champion, winning back-to-back titles with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
But the second place after Mr Beckham went to Paul Caddick, the property and construction entrepreneur who runs rugby league club Leeds Rhinos.
"It is good for us that Beckham is not playing but not good for football because our people are not going to see him, " he added.
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But the spat has opened up wider questions about Beckham's commitment to soccer in America and Major League Soccer's ability to not only lure but keep big name players.
Beckham is training with Spurs but has not been granted permission to play for the Premier League side.
But it's no secret that Beckham wishes to play for England in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
David Beckham, who is injured but with the squad as part of the backroom staff, was standing in front of him, he said.
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That infamous sarong, which he was pictured wearing in 1998, was certainly one "eye-raising item" but as Newkey-Burden explains, Beckham had no regrets.
David Beckham grabbed the glory - but it was Michael Owen and Nicky Butt who put World Cup vengeance in England's grasp against Argentina in Sapporo.
But not because he looks like David Beckham.
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England boss Fabio Capello had stated he would not pick Beckham again for a competitive game but has since said no-one has been ruled out of contention.
But it was a less eventful evening for Beckham on this occasion, although he did come close to winning the tie late on with one of his trademark free kicks.
Good publicity for Ms. Beckham's increasingly impressive collections, but within a few days she was back in her trademark stilts (48 hours is a long time in celebrity journalism).
He told AFP that Beckham would make a good recovery, but that his leg would be in a cast for about three months, definitely ruling him out of South Africa 2010.
CNN: Defiant Beckham says he will return after Achilles surgery
Beckham told his website that he was upset but wanted to thank everyone for their messages of support.
Beckham's teammates held him back, but after the incident, the then England captain appeared with a medical dressing over the cut above his eye.
Milan originally took Beckham on a two-month loan, but have now secured his services until the end of the campaign when he will rejoin Galaxy for the rest of the U.S. season.
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