MADRID: England captain David Beckham signed a four-year contract with Real Madrid on Tuesday to complete his move from Manchester United and become the latest jewel in the Spanish club's crown.

Beckham put pen to paper on his agreement with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, after passing an exhaustive medical at a hospital on the outskirts of the Spanish capital.

"I'm really very happy," Beckham told Real Madrid's website at a signing ceremony alongside club president Florentino Perez.

The transfer will be worth up to 35 million euros (US$40.40 million) to Manchester United.

Beckham, one of the world's best-known and most marketable footballers, will be presented as a Real Madrid player at 1000 GMT on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old Beckham, joined by his wife Victoria and son Brooklyn, had flown by private jet a few hours earlier to the military airbase of Torrejon near the Spanish capital, where he was met by officials of his new club.

Amid tight security, Beckham was whisked away for a medical exam that lasted a little under two hours.

"He has passed," said Alfonso del Corral, the doctor who conducted the medical. "There is nothing to stop him playing for Real Madrid."

Del Corral noted the player was still suffering some discomfort in his wrist, following an injury suffered in May this year, but said that would not have any bearing on his ability to play football.

"In our opinion he's in perfect condition," Del Corral said. "He's like new."

Del Corral explained that the outcome was subject to the results of blood and urine samples and said the player would undergo a second series of tests in Madrid later in July when he reports for the club's pre-season tour of the Far East.

On a personal level, Del Corral was full of praise for the England midfielder. "He's pleasant, straightforward and easy to deal with," Del Corral said.

Relaxed smiles

Beckham looked relaxed as he smiled for photographers but said nothing to waiting reporters.

He was driven away from the clinic in a silver Lexus four-wheel-drive vehicle and rejoined his family at his hotel in Columbus Square in the centre of the city.

He will become the fourth world class player to sign for Real in the past three years, following in the footsteps of Portuguese winger Luis Figo, French midfielder Zinedine Zidane and Brazilian striker Ronaldo.

Real have won the European Cup a record nine times and took their total of Spanish league championships to 29 this season.

The arrival of the Beckham, who enjoys popstar-like adulation from millions of fans around the world, will only add further marketing muscle to a club looking to broaden their appeal in Asian markets.

Beckham's signing from Manchester United, announced in mid-June, created a media frenzy, whipped up by competing sports newspapers and television stations in the capital, and fed by images from the player's promotional tour of the Far East.

There was only a lukewarm response from Real Madrid fans on the day of Beckham's arrival on Tuesday, though, with about 30 waiting outside the base to greet him in the morning, a handful outside the clinic and between 50 and 100 waiting for a glimpse of Victoria near the hotel.

Tight security

The security was extremely tight, however, with Beckham's car escorted by police motorcyclists on the drive from Torrejon to the clinic and the player surrounded by minders throughout the day.

Frustrated autograph hunter Tamara Cantero, a teenager accompanied by her mother, was one of the few fans waiting outside the private clinic, where journalists outnumbered fans by at least four to one.

"Its a bit over the top," she said of the security operation. "He's got more bodyguards than the king."

Agencies via Xinhua

(China Daily 07/03/2003 page8)