Makelele refuses to train as row erupts

David Beckham's first training session on Spanish soil since signing for Real Madrid was overshadowed by team mate Claude Makelele…

David Beckham's first training session on Spanish soil since signing for Real Madrid was overshadowed by team mate Claude Makelele's refusal to train with the rest of the squad.

While Beckham completed a light work out in the sweltering heat at the team's city-centre training ground, Makelele was in open rebellion over his contract.

The French international's agent Marc Roger said that the player felt undervalued in the wake of the arrival of the string of highly-paid recruits.

Rogers then met with Real sporting director Jorge Valdano to try and persuade the club to give his client a pay rise or to sell him on to premier league side Chelsea.

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But Valdano said after training that the player's subsequent refusal to train would now result in disciplinary action by the club.

"If they continue to pay him the same amount I'm sure he will not stay," Roger told reporters after a meeting with Valdano.

Roger said he had told Real the 30-year-old international, whose contract with the club does not expire until 2006, had received several offers from leading European clubs.

"Lots of teams in England and Italy want him, including AC Milan and Chelsea," he said.

"He is the best player in the world in his position and is happy at Real in terms of the sporting side of things, but he is not happy on the economic side and wants a contract that corresponds to his abilities," added Roger.

"And, as Real Madrid know, a player who isn't happy is not a good player. They should either revise his contract or sell him."