Real held to scoreless bore by Betis
Real Madrid's problems continued when they failed to break down a relegation-threatened Real Betis and had to settle for a 0-0 draw in a dull Spanish Cup last 16 first leg match.
Spanish sports daily Marca held an internet poll during the course of the match and more than 65 per cent of respondants said that Real would not miss David Beckham when he leaves for Los Angeles Galaxy in the summer.
However, his former fans might be thinking again after Real's poor showing for which the former England captain was dropped by coach Fabio Capello.
"I am only going to talk about this game and that is another matter," said Capello when the subject of Beckham's departure was raised.
"I liked the spirit of our team tonight. I'm happy," added Capello.
"A 0-0 draw is definitely not a bad result on a difficult pitch. They had the best of the first half, when they had two good chances, but I think we were better in the second."
On balance, the home side had the best chances and Betis's Brazilian winger Wagner had two excellent opportunities to open the scoring in the first half.
Madrid had to rely on their two new Argentine acquisitions for their best attempts to break the deadlock.
Gonzalo Higuain nearly marked his Real debut with a goal but his right foot effort midway through the first half brought an outstanding save from goalkeeper Pedro Contreras, himself a former Madrid player.
"He did well. People who come here from other continents usually need a bit of time to adapt to European football," said Capello.
Fernando Gago sent a shot from the edge of the area whistling over the bar after 73 minutes but, like everyone else, the midfielder ended the night without a goal to his name.
Real's injury woes among their defenders also increased when Brazilian left back Roberto Carlos limped off after just 11 minutes.
Club medical officials later said that they feared he could be out for up to a month with a torn right calf muscle.
Real have now only won one of their last six matches in all competitions.
The second leg will be on January 18 at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium.