Beckham arrives in Madrid as Victoria takes a back seat

Madrid gave vent to a fresh bout of Beckham-mania after England star David Beckham arrived in the Spanish capital ready to start pre-season training with Real Madrid.

Spanish tabloids on Tuesday night snapped Beckham, who joined Real on July 2 for 35 million euros from Manchester United, driving through the outskirts of the city after he and wife Victoria landed at the city's Torrejon airport on a private jet from his French holiday base at Cannes.

The celebrity couple headed straight for the city's plush Santo Mauro hotel - where French star Zinedine Zidane also spent his first days in Madrid - for a two-night stay as Real are scheduled to jet off Wednesday on an 18-day tour of Asia.

Beckham, who has spent the summer getting fit in the South of France, was set to spy out the residential zone of La Moraleja in the north of Madrid for a place to live.

He was also due to film an advertisement for one of his sponsors.

The England skipper has already run the rule over several properties in the area, having spent two days in Madrid three weeks ago when he was presented to the fans following his club medical.

Beckham, 28, joins the Spanish champions, and nine-times European champions, on a four-year contract worth an estimated six million euros a year before bonuses.

"Beckham has arrived," trumpeted Marca magazine, which pictured Beckham, clad in a baseball cap and white t-shirt, at the wheel of a silver Range Rover with his wife appearing to crouch in the back while a friend of the couple rode in the passenger seat.

The remainder of the Real squad were due to report for training on Wednesday before heading out to China for a lucrative round of pre-season friendlies.

Beckham is due to make his competitive debut in Spain in Mallorca in the Spanish Super Cup on August 17 against Real Mallorca.