Beckham 'fight' to prove himself

Updated 11.21 Mon Apr 23 2007

Keywords: Valencia, Sevilla, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Capello, Beckham, LA Galaxy, La Liga

David Beckham has revealed he had to fight to prove to Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello that he was worth a place in the team once he had decided to sign for LA Galaxy.

Beckham returned from a six-week injury absence to set up Real Madrid's winner in a 2-1 victory over Primera Liga title rivals Valencia at the Bernabeu on Saturday.

Beckham knew his commitment to the Spanish club would be questioned once the deal with the Major League Soccer side was completed

The win puts Madrid third in La Liga on 57 points, just two behind leaders Barcelona who crashed 2-0 at Villarreal.

Tottenham's Uefa Cup conquerors, Sevilla are sandwiched between the two Spanish giants in second on 58 points.

Former England captain Beckham knew his commitment to the Spanish club would be questioned once the deal with the Major League Soccer side was completed.

Beckham said: "People wondered how you could be committed to a team when you had signed for another team. I had to prove I am committed."

"It doesn't mean I don't give 110 per cent or don't fly into tackles and try to win things with this team," he added.

Beckham has signed a five-year £128 million contract with Galaxy and will join the club when his contract in Madrid finishes at the end of June.

He endured an uncertain period at Madrid after revealing he was to quit the club. Capello immediately left him out of the squad and claimed he would not pick him again.

However he relented and Beckham was reinstated and has played a key role in their title challenge.