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David Beckham's farewell "It's been an honour to don the White shirt. Winning La Liga would be a dream come true." Yesterday it was Roberto Carlos who made his last appearance at Real Madrid City's press room before the media. Today, it was time for more goodbyes. David Beckham's press conference congregated masses of journalists, photographers, and TV cameras to capture the shots of the Englishman on the day of his farewell. Real Madrid's number '23' will be leaving at the end of the season and his biggest wish, as he underlined a few times, was to win the Primera Liga. Elegant, serene, and smiling throughout, an exemplary footballer and quite the gentleman, he spoke largely of the sadness of leaving and reiterated the words “thank you”. Is there any chance you might reconsider your decision and stay at or come back to Real Madrid in the near future? No. The contract was signed a few months back. Everyone knows when I signed it. My last game will be on Sunday. There’s no clause in the contract that I signed with the Galaxy saying that it could be changed, so as far as everyone knows now, the last game is Sunday. I played for Real Madrid for four years. I’ve had an incredible, incredible time, and hopefully it’s going to end with the best ending possible: La Liga. This is it. When did you begin considering that you had to leave Real Madrid? I first realised I would be leaving Real Madrid six months ago in January when I was told that my contract wouldn’t be renewed. That was the time that I knew I had to decide my future, but leaving a club like Real Madrid is very difficult. I think that my future is very bright and I’m really looking forward to it now. But I will miss Real Madrid and Spain a huge, huge amount. Do you feel like you could have stayed two more years at Real Madrid? There's no doubt I could have stayed with Real Madrid for two or three more years, or for the rest of my career. But things change, things happen. I have a lot of respect for the President and I have a lot of respect for Fabio Capello. He’s one of the best managers in football. I respect him as a person and as a manager. I wish him luck with everything that he continues to do for Real Madrid and in his life. But for me, my Real Madrid career will be over after Sunday. Was this decision detrimental for you? Hindsight is a strange thing. My life and career here six to eight months ago was a lot different to what it was before and to what it is now. I had to make a decision when I was told that I would be leaving the club at the end of the season. My decision was to sign for the L.A. Galaxy. I am very honoured that they have given me the chance to play, and to hopefully take soccer in America to a different level. That’s what I’m going to try to do. That’s my next challenge, and I’m looking forward to it. A lot of things have gone on. If it was different, who knows what would have happened. Did you think that you would hang your boots here? I said before that I would stay at Real Madrid and finish my career, but I never thought I would leave Manchester United either, which I did four years ago. Things change in football and in life. I’ve made a decision and I don’t regret it. I’m looking forward to the challenge, but I will be sad to leave Spain and I’ll be sad to leave Real Madrid. I’ve got so many great memories here. I haven’t won anything in four years, but hopefully that’s going to change this Sunday. I’ve always said in my life and in my career that I never want to regret any decision that I make throughout my career and throughout my life. I’ve done that so far, so I don’t regret this one. As I said, I will be really sad to leave Madrid and I think it will be a very emotional day on Sunday. Many things have happened in these last four years… I think many things have happened since I signed for the Galaxy and many things have happened since I signed for Real Madrid. There have been many managers, many Presidents, many players, and I rented many houses. So many things have changed, but I will always have respect. I will never criticise some things that have gone on at the club that are very different from when I was at Manchester United. I’ve enjoyed my time in Real Madrid. It’s been very different than my time in Manchester United, but I have affection for the fans and for the people in Spain, and for Real Madrid as a club. It’s one of the biggest, if not the biggest club in the world, and to have the honour of playing here for four years to play for this club and with this white shirt has been a real honour. What is your best memory of your time here? My best memory so far was signing for Real Madrid, but I’m hoping that changes on Sunday. I want my memories here to be taken up a level by winning something with this club. That’s what I want my best memory to be. There’s no doubt that I will feel very sad on Sunday. I’m honoured to be sharing my last match with Real Madrid with Roberto Carlos, not just because he’s been one of the best players in the world for many years in his position, but because he has become a very good friend of mine. I am honoured to be sharing my last game with him. I am going to be very sad because, as I said, the people have been incredible to me outside of the stadium as well as inside for every match over these four years. The way they have treated me absolutely amazes me. When I signed for Real Madrid people told me how difficult it would be to play at the Bernabéu, and how tough and hard the people are to please because the expectations at Real Madrid are so high. I am very honoured and very glad to have met the expectations that they set, and I hope that we can reward them with a trophy. I’m going to be keeping my last shirt. I have my first shirt from my first game at the Bernabéu and now I’m going to keep my last shirt. That’s one thing I’m going to be taking from the club. How would you explain to all Madridistas why you are leaving? In four years, the people and the fans have been incredible. But now I had to make a decision because after my contract with Real Madrid was finished this summer, it wasn’t going to be renewed. I need to make a decision on where to go, and my main option was the United States. I am very happy about my decision now. I think it’s a very exciting prospect for me. The people and Real Madrid fans have been incredible. Not just to me, but to my family, my children, and my wife. I will never ever forget how I have been both on and off the field. I have to say thank you. You came to win titles and you could actually do it in your last gasp at Real Madrid. The most important thing is the game on Sunday. What has gone on before now doesn’t matter because the game on Sunday is the biggest opportunity for me, the team, the players, and the club to win a trophy. It’s what I came to Real Madrid for. I didn’t just come to play with the likes of Raúl, Zidane, Figo, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo and everybody else, but to win trophies as well. Hopefully we can do it on Sunday. Let's say it's the 89th minute fo the match. It's 0-0. There's a free kick. Who would take it, you or Roberto Carlos? Roberto is my friend, so we have to discuss who will take the free kick. I don’t care who takes it, as long as we score. I don’t care if it’s me, Roberto, or even Iker. All that matters is scoring. Hopefully it doesn’t come down to that. I hope we score a bit earlier than that, but we’ll see. Do you have anything to say to Fabio Capello? I’m not going to criticise Fabio Capello because I have too much respect for him as a person and manager. He’s achieved so much in his career, not just here, but with every team that he has taken control of. That’s the main reason why I will never criticise him as a manager. Everybody knows that that was a difficult time, and I think that there were many other things going on around the club, not just what was happening on the football pitch. Did that one-month break in January benefit you in any way? I was spending time with my family when I wasn’t playing or training with the team. It was a position that I had never been in before, so I was getting my rest in and I was having days off when the players were meeting up with their national teams. So that’s probably why I’m so fresh now, but I’ve also got a lot of confidence now when I play. I always have to have confidence, but six months ago it was knocked out of me. But I’ve gotten in back now and I’ve been enjoying the rest of the season, the last game being on Sunday. I can’t wait. Is it painful to leave top flight football? I’ve had 15 years playing top-flight football for Manchester United and Real Madrid. Everybody knows that the level of football is different in America, but I have been very honoured and I have had such an amazing career playing for two of the biggest clubs in the world, playing in many big competitions, and winning everything possible for Manchester United, and hopefully something with Real Madrid before I leave. But it’s going to be sad. I’m going to be sad on Sunday because of the four years I’ve spent here and the way the people have treated me. I’m moving on to new challenges. It’s a challenge that I’m looking forward to and a challenge that will be difficult, but it’s also going to be rewarding being that I have the chance to take football in America, soccer as they call it, to another level. I’m excited about this opportunity and will be ready for the challenge. But to win the League you first need to defeat Mallorca… Winning the League is still difficult because we have a big match on Sunday. We have to relax because everyone was very excited after the game we played the other day. Everybody… the club, the fans, the players. But the League is not over. We have to win on Sunday. If we win, then we will enjoy the celebrations after. Was this the toughest season you have ever lived? It’s possibly been the toughest and most difficult season of my career, on and off the field. 1998 was difficult, but I think that this season I’ve gone through things that I never thought were possible. It’s been difficult, but I’ve had a lot of people around me. I’ve had a lot of friends, not just my family and English friends. I have a lot of friends that have given me so much support while I’ve been at Real Madrid, and especially this season. As I said before, it was the most difficult time I’ve had in my career; not being involved in training, not being involved in matches, and certain things being said about me that weren’t true. I want everybody to know that I have always loved this club and I have always given everything to play for this club and to be out there at the Bernabéu. It’s one of the best stadiums in the world and I have been honoured to play there for four years now. Could playing in the US be detrimental vis-a-vis being called up for international duty with the England squad? Without a doubt. The manager has already made it clear there won’t be a problem as long as my fitness is right and as long as I’m playing like I have been over the last six months, which is why he brought me back in the first place. I believe my fitness will be the same as what it is now, if not better. I don’t think I, or anybody else involved, have any reason to worry. Everyone has an opinion about the decision you have taken… I think everybody has their own opinion, not just about my decisions over the last six months, but about my entire career. Some people think that I shouldn’t be in the team and others think I should. Some think I’m doing the right thing by signing for the L.A. Galaxy, and as they have been saying, going into semi-retirement, which I don’t think is the case. Then there are others that think that I can play for another two or three years at the top level and I’m one of those people. I don’t think it’s too early to be doing what I’m doing. I think it’s important for me to go to America, to play for the Galaxy, and to be an ambassador of the MLS at an age where I can still perform. I didn’t want to go there with people expecting so much and me being unable to deliver. I’ve always tried to deliver throughout my career, both on and off the pitch. So, everybody has their own opinion. I can’t change what some think, but I have change what others think by the way I have played on the football pitch, and that’s all the interests me. Even Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke favourably about your return to the English team… I think it’s an amazing honour whenever a Prime Minister speaks about you. The Prime Minister has spoken many times about me as a person and as a footballer. I’m very honoured and thankful for that, but it’s what I love doing. I love playing football and when I get criticized, it’s my way of coming back as a stronger person and stronger footballer, Whenever the criticism gets thrown at me, then I find a way of dealing with it and becoming a stronger and better person for it. I have to thank the Prime Minister because, as I said, he spoke so highly about me. He’s a man that knows about tremendous pressure, probably more than many people in the world, so for him to take the time to say the words that he has about me and my career, I’m very flattered and very honoured. A message for the fans. For all the people and fans, thank you very much for everything. I would like to thank the press, the people in Spain, the fans in the Bernabéu, my teammates, my coaches... Thank you so much. It has been a real honour and pleasure to play for this team and this club. Thank you so much and farewell. Your last thought please. I need to stress that I’ve had four amazing years, whether we won on Sunday or not. But winning this Sunday will top things off for me. I’ve had an amazing for years with this club, the people within the club, the people around the city, and with the press. They’ve all been really kind to me, and I want to say thank you for that. I want to thank the coaches that I’ve had, to the Presidents I’ve had, and to everybody involved in making it possible for me to play here. It’s been an honour. It’s been a dream playing here. I want to wish the team good luck in the future. I want to wish the captain good luck because he has been a tower of strength for many people and for the team, and he’s been a person that a lot of people should look up to because he is very dedicated to what he does and what he believes in. Thank you to him and the rest of the team, and good luck throughout the rest of their careers.

Becks to rest until final game David Beckham will rest his injured ankle until Saturday as the Real Madrid midfielder races to be fit for the final game of the season. The England man sustained the injury whilst on international duty last week, with doctors diagnosing a strain of the internal lateral ligament in his left ankle. Beckham recovered sufficiently to play a major part in Real's 2-2 draw against Real Zaragoza at the weekend, but he pulled up during the closing moments of the game and reports later suggested he had aggravated the injury. He will now take no part in training until the day before Sunday's title decider against Real Mallorca, although he still stands a chance of playing. A win will for bring the title to the Bernabeu for the first time since 2003 as Real head into the game level on points with Barcelona but ahead on the two sides' head-to-head record this season. Beckham's knock aside, Real are facing a potential injury crisis ahead of Sunday's crucial game after a handful of other players also missed Tuesday's training session. Raul Bravo, Antonio Cassano and Miguel Torres must all prove their fitness before the weekend while midfielder Mahamadou Diarra is certain to miss out as he is away on international duty with Mali.

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You're welcome Aga And thanks for the pics !!!!!!!!!!

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Roma Back On Cicinho's Trail Cicinho has again been linked with a summer move to AS Roma and are said to be preparing an offer once the Spanish season is over. The Italian giants are keen to bolster their defence and are keen to test whether Madrid want to hang onto the player who will turn 27 this month. According to a story in Corriere dello Sport Stadio, Cicinho could become surplus to requirements at Madrid, despite Roberto Carlos' exit to Fenerbahçe, Italian sports agent, Ernesto Bronzetti, believes that Roma are still interested, despite the Brazilian missing a large chunk of the season with a knee injury. "I can assure you that before the injury Roma wnated him and he was keen to move to the club," he stated. "Now though, he is keen to see who will be the coach of Real Madrid next season before making any decisions." Cicinho moved to Madrid in 2005 from Sao Paulo, but has played just 16 games for the club during a troubled two seasons in the Spanish capital. Roma see him as an ideal candidate as he would not occupy a non-EU place in their squad due to his Italian heritage.

Roberto Carlos press conference "I want to be happy when I leave, with a title in my pocket and paying tribute to Madridismo" Roberto Carlos, one of the most important footballers to have played for the Club, gave his last press conference as Real Madrid player this morning. The Brazilian is excited with the chance of leaving with another League title. At the end of the press conference, the journalists gave the player a standing ovation and praised him for being so kind and always having a smile on his face throughout these years. Is the game against Mallorca the most important fixture of the season? It is the most important game of the League. We've worked very hard to get here and we will face a very strong opponent. It will be a complicated game, despite what you all think. Mallorca have great players and it annoys me to hear and read we've practically won the game before it has taken place. I hope the fans take part in the game and that we are motivated enough to do our best to win. I'm sad for leaving after being at the Club for eleven years and it would be beautiful to be able to go with a new title in my pocket. We haven't won anything in three years and we had a poor start to the season, but we now have the chance of winning the championship, playing a great game and paying tribute to Madridismo on Sunday. Three teams have chances of winning the title... It's amazing to have three great teams fighting for the title. Barcelona are a fantastic side that have had chances of winning throughout the season, Sevilla have played the best football and have been the most regular side, and the greatness of our Club has allowed us to reach the top of the table. Mallorca are a quality team. They have a good coach and they have managed to win at the Bernabéu before. We have a lot of respect for them and we know the game will be complicated. The three teams have Brazilians on their squads... This makes our countrymen proud. It is an honour for us to represent Brazil in the Spanish League. Did you ever think the League could end like this? It would have been better to win three weeks ago, but it is also very beautiful to reach the end of the League with this pressure, knowing how close we are to winning the title. Losing doesn't enter your plans. We can't think about losing at the Bernabéu for the fans' sake. They will give us all their support now that we have recovered their confidence. We are living a great moment; we're earning good results, playing well and we are confident about winning. We have to continue playing this way. There's only one game left to end the season and we can't afford to give away the title after the great efforts we've done in the past ten months. We suffered at the start of the season, but we've enjoyed ourselves in the final stretch. We can't ruin all that now. Sunday will probably be one of the most important days of my life because we will play the most important game of the year. Will you cry on Sunday? It's very hard to make me cry... I'm working hard not to cry (laughs). I want to be happy in my farewell, but I must admit I never saw myself outside Real Madrid. I've had the chance of joining a team that can give me what I wanted from Real Madrid; I feel important again thanks to Fenerbache, but I am still happy here. What made you decide to leave? We simply didn't reach an agreement. I'm not going to blame anyone because I want to leave happily on Sunday. All the bad times and the controversies are now in the past. My contract ends on 30 June after eleven years at the Club, let's just leave it at that. Many people didn't believe I would leave. I've always been a Madridista. I've learned how to play and matured as a person at this Club. I have become a respected player all over the world thanks to Real Madrid. I will leave with my head held high, feeling fortunate for having played with such great players and being able to teach younger ones who were signed or promoted from the youth categories. I think everyone is happy with me. I've had the best years of my life at this Club, but I now have the chance of having a great future in Turkey and I will go there on Tuesday to start anew. I have many friends here, so you will still see me very often. You are living your final moments with your friend David Beckham... David is as sad as I am for leaving the best Club in the world. He is a great player and human being whom I deeply respect and am very fond of. I think he is recovering well. He seems to be walking without problems. I'm no doctor, but we all want him to play his best game on Sunday. The President and Capello had lunch today. Do you think the latter will stay on as coach? Will Robinho be able to play on Sunday? I haven't talked to him about that, but we all want him to stay in Madrid and join Brazil next week. Real Madrid has to reach an agreement with the Brazilian FA. This always happens when an important League game takes place around the same time as international fixtures. The player is always the one who loses out in these situations. He will be an important loss for Real Madrid. He is an important player because he makes a difference. That's why Real Madrid have to reach an agreement with the Brazilian FA. He would be an important loss. What have you lacked at Real Madrd? I never won a King's Cup. Everything else has been great, especially the fans warmth. I've felt their support and fondness at traffic lights, restaurants... I've learned a lot here. I've had eleven unforgettable years, but the greatest players have also had to say goodbye at one point. Maradona, Pelé, Zidane... They all did. I can still play for three more years. These are strange days for me, but I only think about how grateful I am to everybody. Who can replace you? There are many good players out there. Torres and Marcelo are very young and very good. Raúl Bravo is a good left back, but I don't know what his future has in store. Real Madrid will be able to choose from many good left backs if he leaves. Someone else will donne the number '3' shirt next season. This is the end of an era... The team is currently being renovated. We've already had our best moments and now it's time for a change, to write a new episode in history with different players. The same happened to Di Stéfano and his lot. We were similarly successful. I am proud of having been part of such an important era at the Club.

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Real Madrid's Cannavaro hopes for AC Milan offer tribalfooball.com - June 14, 2007 Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro is angling for a move to AC Milan. Sportime says Cannavaro has instructed Italian agent Enzo Bronzetti to sound out Milan about their interest for next season. The Italy captain is seeking a return to Serie A with a club that can cover his £2.5 million-a-year wage demands.

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Honda hoped for more The Honda Racing F1 Team's Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button will start tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix from the 7th and 8th rows of the grid after ending today's qualifying session in 13th and 15th positions respectively. Both drivers made it through Q1 but struggled during Q2, Jenson experiencing low grip whilst Rubens' quick lap was compromised when he ran wide onto the marbles. "It was a good qualifying session today and I like the balance of the car," said Barrichello. "Unfortunately I lost some time into the hairpin when I ran a little wide on the marbles and with that I lost the chance to go into the top ten. I'm still feeling positive for the race tomorrow however as the car has a good balance and seems to be working better on the old tyres than the new." Button commented, "We really struggled with the grip levels in Qualifying this afternoon. The car just didn't feel like it did during practice this morning and had very low grip all round the circuit. I've qualified well here over the past few years but unfortunately not today. It's very disappointing for myself and the whole team, but we have to look at the data now and try to make the best of our package for the race tomorrow." Engineering director Jacky Eeckelaert added, "We expected to qualify higher up the grid but neither of the drivers got a clean lap at the end of Q2. We have also suffered with tyre warm-up problems and therefore a general lack of grip. With race fuel loads tomorrow this problem will disappear. We have a good race pace and with the right strategy we should be able to make up a number of places."

Qualifying 1 L. Hamilton 1:15.707 2 F. Alonso 1:16.163 3 N. Heidfeld 1:16.266 4 K. Räikkönen 1:16.411 5 F. Massa 1:16.570 6 M. Webber 1:16.913 7 N. Rosberg 1:16.919 8 R. Kubica 1:16.993 9 G. Fisichella 1:17.229 10 J. Trulli 1:17.747 11 T. Sato 1:16.743 12 V. Liuzzi 1:16.760 13 R. Barrichello 1:17.116 14 D. Coulthard 1:17.304 15 J. Button 1:17.541 16 S. Speed 1:17.571 17 A. Davidson 1:17.542 18 R. Schumacher 1:17.634 19 H. Kovalainen 1:17.806 20 A. Wurz 1:18.089 21 A. Sutil 1:18.536 22 C. Albers 1:19.196