David Beckham admitted on Saturday that he was stunned by the decision of Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello to call time on his career at the Spanish giants.
Capello is adamant that the former England skipper has spent his last match in a Real shirt after the 31-year-old decided to sign a $US250 million deal to play for Los Angeles Galaxy in the US.
"David is surprised at the quotes from Fabio Capello. Nobody from the club has informed him of their intentions. He will continue to give his commitment and professionalism to the club," said Simon Oliveira, Beckham's public relations representative.
"As far as David is aware, he has a contract for the remainder of the season and remains dedicated to the club and its supporters," he said.
Capello said earlier on Saturday that Beckham, whose contract ends after the season, will not play for him again.
"He's not going to play any-more. He can train but not play. I think you can't play with the same motivation if you have signed for another team," Capello said.
"The player's decision to go to Los Angeles on such a big contract means we cannot count on him, although he has been a great professional," he said.
Beckham's five-year deal with the Major League Soccer (MLS) club in the US could make him one of the richest sportsmen in the world, but much of the massive contract is believed to be based on a complex system of bonus incentives.
"The fact he wanted to go was down to him, not to me. He is a great professional. Now he can stay in good physical condition but we can't count on him," Capello added.
The 31-year-old former England captain has only started five La Liga games and has been on the substitutes' bench for most of the season, but he is still under contract to Real and drawing his US$7.8 million yearly salary until June 30.
However, with new MLS season starting in April, it is hard to believe that Beckham will not try to look for a way to leave Real in the next two months.
RSS