Beckham reaffirms Madrid ambitions as Perez jumps ship

Real Madrid chairman Florentino Perez winces as he announces his resignation. Real, heading for a third season without silverware, were trying to right a storm-tossed ship after Perez stepped down in a shock move.

Real Madrid, heading for a third season without silverware, were trying to right a storm-tossed ship after chairman Florentino Perez stepped down in a shock move.

England skipper David Beckham was quick to reaffirm his ambitions with the club after construction millionaire Perez elected to go just two years into his second term of office with the club labouring in the league and on the verge of Champions League elimination.

Beckham, speaking ahead of England's friendly with Uruguay, pledged his future to 'the meringues' but paid homage to Perez, who was responsible for bringing players like himself Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and Ronaldo to the club.

"It doesn't affect my side at all, I don't think," he said.

"I have this season plus one more left and I've already been told, not just by Florentino but by other directors, that they want me to stay at the club.

"It was a surprise, I only heard late last night."

He added: "I would like to thank Florentino for having given me the chance to play for such a great club.

"He's very intelligent. I have only good memories. He has to be congratulated on bringing such great players to the club.

"Obviously I don't know what is going to happen. But I am happy there and would like to stay there," added Beckham.

His Madrid career has been up and down since he left Manchester United in July 2003 and is still waiting for a first trophy here which shows no sign of arriving.

Goalkeeper Iker Casillas said he was also saddened by the news -- and sought to deflect the blame.

"At the end of the day the players are the main ones to blame. Florentino has done a lot for the club -- I think he did so with the best intentions and we are pained and saddened," Casillas told reporters.

Perez resigned after an extraordinary meeting of the board on Monday which saw him confirm that Fernando Martin, a club vice-president, would take over the hot seat.

"Real Madrid needs change and this is the right moment for me to leave the presidency," Perez said.

"I am convinced this is the boost the club needs. I'm going because the only important thing is Real Madrid."

His resignation comes after Real all but gave up on the league title in losing 2-1 at Real Mallorca on Sunday on the back of a 1-0 home loss to Arsenal in the Champions League the previous Tuesday.

On Saturday, Real face city rivals Atletico Madrid at the Bernabeu.

Perez's arrival at the helm in July 2000 heralded the "galactico" era as world stars were recruited in a money-no-object frenzy.

"There is no crisis at the club," said Perez.

"The financial and sporting set-up at the club is good and we are happy at what we have done here in the last six years."

He added he had made his decision on Sunday following the Mallorca defeat.

"It was a gesture of loyalty for the good of the club," Perez continued.

During Perez's reign, Madrid won the Spanish league and Spanish Super Cup double in both 2001 and 2003, as well as a ninth Champions League in 2002.

Martin is, like close friend Perez, 58-years-old and is one of the largest property developers in Spain.

"I wish him all the luck in the world for this wonderful challenge," Perez said of Martin.

Spanish media were awash with reaction to the news that the man who has turned Real into the world's richest club had left the tiller.

He "multiplied shirt sales, created an enterprise culture (but) this commercial success renders all the more bloody his sporting failure," conservative daily El Mundo said in an editorial.

"His main error was to believe that marketing and the chequebook are enough to obtain the best team in the world."

For El Periodico daily, "football has its rules and a club cannot be run like a multinational."

The paper added that "the magic of (financial) figures masks an enormous sporting absurdity."

Centre-left El Pais saluted Perez's "sense of honour" in stepping down just two years after being re-elected to his post, since when the club has endured a succession of coaches and sporting directors to underpin its destabilisation.

Barcelona-based La Vanguardia saw Perez "leaving a ship which is taking on water everywhere amid the storm."

El Pais forecast that, with Perez gone, the team would soon undergo major reconstruction as its galacticos age and decline.

AS sporting daily saw Perez's departure as "precipitate, and coming at a bad moment" with Real's "house in a mess."