Boot on the other foot for Real as Makelele rebels

For Real Madrid the boot is very much on the other foot after French midfielder Claude Makelele mounted a one-man rebellion over the club's refusal to grant him a pay rise.

One of the poorest paid players in the star-studded squad, Makelele feels undervalued and has issued an ultimatum to the nine-times European champions - pay up or I'm out of here.

Ever since the election of Florentino Perez as Real Madrid president three years ago the club have been the beneficiaries of player power, but now it looks like they could be on the receiving end.

Real have stood by and waited as a string of the world's best players, still under contract to rival clubs, have pressured for a move to the Spanish giants.

Timing their public intervention to perfection Real have then prised the unhappy player from his club and brought them to the Bernabeu.

Zinedine Zidane made it clear to Juventus that he wanted away and the Italian side had little option but to grant his wish to head for the Spanish capital.

Last year Ronaldo took it a step further when he refused to train with Inter until they agreed to sit down at the table with Real. After some hard bargaining he also got his way.

Even though Manchester United were more willing partners than Inter, they too had to cede to the player's demands when they sold David Beckham in June to Real rather than arch-rivals Barcelona.

This time, however, the roles are reversed as Real attempt to deal with an unhappy player facing the allure of a rival club flush with cash - in this case Chelsea and their new Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich.

Makelele's revolt presents Real with a very tricky problem.

If Real do grant him a pay rise they will be opening the floodgates to a host of other players who are likely to push for contract improvements.

And if they decide it is better to be rid of a destabilising influence in the squad they will lose one of the unsung heroes of the squad - the man who does the dirty work while Zidane, Ronaldo and Luis Figo get all the glory.

Makelele has a fierce work ethic, impressive physical fitness and a terrier-like determination.

Zidane grabbed the headlines with his volleyed winner against Bayer Leverkusen in the European Cup final in 2002, but it was Makelele who helped prevent Real from being steamrollered by the Germans in the first half.

Last season Real looked on course for a 10th European crown after their unravelling of Manchester United and a 2-1 victory over Juventus in the first leg of the semi-final at the Bernabeu.

But Real's chances against the Italians were damaged when Makelele withdrew from the second leg because of injury.

Without the Frenchman, Juve - and Edgar Davids - were given the run of the midfield and the Italians cruised to a 3-1 win.

Centre back Ivan Helguera could perform Makelele's role in midfield, but that would leave Real with another headache in the centre of defence.

The use of Guti alongside Beckham, Zidane, and Figo would make for a breathtaking attacking line-up, but would leave Real dangerously exposed without a natural ball-winner in midfield.

Real could, of course, look to buy in another player to fill Makelele's role. But one natural replacement, Patrick Vieira, has just signed a new deal with Arsenal and Juve are unlikely to sell the combative Davids.

Valencia's Ruben Baraja is the nearest Spanish equivalent, but the Mediterranean club are not going to give him up without a fight.