Beckham Caps Time at Madrid With Spanish League Title

MADRID, Spain — David Beckham was minutes away from a perfect Hollywood ending.

The 32-year-old soccer star-pop icon, who likely played his last professional game in Europe, was taken off the field moments before Real Madrid rallied to win the Spanish league title for the first time in Beckham's four years with the team.

The England midfielder was replaced in the 66th minute with what appeared to be a recurrence of an ankle injury. But he still managed to limp around the field in celebration — in front of a huge crowd that included wife Victoria and friends Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes — after his team beat Mallorca 3–1 to win its 30th league title.

"I couldn't have dreamt it any better," Beckham said yesterday. "It's been about winning the title for the last six months and we've deserved it tonight."

It was the culmination of a season that can easily be called the most difficult of his life. But even being shunned by both Madrid coach Fabio Capello and England coach Steve McClaren over the last year didn't keep Beckham from proving he still has the skills to compete at the highest level.

"It's been an incredible experience but all I remember now is the great things. Winning this tonight now puts to bed everything else," said Beckham, who was dropped from the Madrid lineup in January after signing a five-year, $27.5 million contract to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS.

But with Madrid again eliminated early from the Champions League and the team in fourth place in the league — six points behind leader FC Barcelona — Capello begrudgingly recalled the former England captain.

"A major fault of mine this season was not recognizing Beckham's potential," Capello said yesterday.

Beckham, whose good looks and pop star wife have made him an international marketing magnet, marked his return to the team by scoring with a bending free kick in Madrid's 2–1 win at Real Sociedad.

After missing six weeks with a knee injury, Beckham returned to set up the winning goal in a 2–1 win over Valencia.

Madrid rode an eight-game unbeaten run by scoring 24 goals — more than a third of the total it had scored in the first 30 games.