Madrid dream may be over for Becks

For all his fast cars, the impression is that David Beckham is waiting at another crossroads with a question mark over the direction of his career.

The England captain's revelation yesterday that he was unhappy about the way his children were being treated by the paparazzi in Madrid has raised the prospect of another club move.

The 29-year-old, who moved to Real Madrid from Manchester United two years ago, said separate incidents in the last two weeks involving Brooklyn, six, being chased and Romeo, two, being spied on in his nursery by photographers have "made him think very carefully".

Beckham is fiercely protective of his children and last week a photographer was chased by one of Beckham's aides as he tried to snap pictures of Brooklyn at his school. Two days later the headmaster of Romeo's nursery school refused to let the children out into their playground at lunch-time because another photographer was lurking by the school perimeter.

"I don't know what to do," Beckham said as he prepared to face Northern Ireland.

Those close to Beckham claim his comments were not designed to alert Premiership clubs that he wants to come home. The midfielder has two years left on his contract at Real Madrid and is apparently keen to extend his commitment.

A month after his third son, Cruz, was born, Beckham wants to know where he will be raised, but the escape routes for Madrid's shirt-selling king are limited.