Beckham must shine instantly in Real galaxy

Football: England's captain makes his Spanish league debut tonight with the critics already calling him a misfit both on and off the pitch

Tonight, it's the Real deal. After his debut for Madrid, his debut on Spanish soil and his debut in competition comes David Beckham's first appearance in La Liga - the most intense and demanding of domestic standards. It will take place at the magnificently daunting Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the 75,000-capacity home of the self-styled most glamorous and talented football club in the world. There will be six "galacticos" in the firmament this evening - Raul, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and, now, Beckham. All will play against Real Betis, a tricky, combative side, because this is a big game and in the big games, come the big names. It is, as the departing Steve McManaman calls it, the "unwritten rule" of life in what is sometimes referentially, sometimes disparagingly, referred to as the "white galaxy" of Real Madrid.

Beckham's place in the top-half of the hierarchy, following his £24.5m move from Manchester United, remains secure for this season despite a fortnight in which he has gone from hero to zero and back again. If the 28-year-old ever thought the media in England were quick to judge, then clearly he is faced with the supreme court of summary justice in Spain. And so his new career was written off after two barren appearances - a friendly against Valencia, in which he was cautioned and withdrawn after 54 minutes, and the first-leg of the Super Cup against Real Mallorca in Palma last Sunday when he was again substituted.

"Over-hyped, over-rated and useless," was the verdict of one publication, As, which also awarded him its Vaya Dia ("What a dreadful day") award. The newspaper El Mundo gave him no marks - though it was out three and not 10 as has been reported - and proclaimed: "Beckham who lacks class, also lacked spark".

The reaction was fuelled by a perception that Beckham is not settling. Certainly tensions exist at his new club - there are bound to be at a place which has collected the captains of Spain, France and England and whose last four signings cost £140m. All the players are adjusting to not only Beckham's arrival but, more importantly, the departure of the coach, Vicente del Bosque, who in each of his three years delivered either La Liga or the Champions' League - and the long-serving captain, Fernando Hierro. Raul, 26, has succeeded Hierro and Jose Maria Gutierrez - Guti - is vice-captain, although the midfielder knows his position was compromised by Beckham's arrival. "Looking at the squad, it would be stupid to imagine I'm going to start in the first XI," Guti said. "There are people who start with an advantage because of their status." Status or ability? Guti's choice of word is clear.

Also down at the Cuidad Deportiva, Madrid's training ground, Beckham is perceived as somewhat shy. McManaman has acted as guide and interpreter; one of his sponsors has donated a mobile telephone with English-to-Spanish software and Madrid's sports director, Jorge Valdano, has already described Beckham as "quiet to the point of shyness". Then there are the so far unquantifiable physical and emotional effects of the summer - the leaving of United, his own much-criticised American tour and Madrid's three-week Asian jamboree.

None of this will matter if he performs on the pitch, of course, although the thorny issue of where to play him has caused much debate. Valdano made it clear that he considers Beckham a central midfielder exiled to the flanks by United and the man himself has always stressed his preference for the middle. But it was there that he under-performed in those first two matches, leading to the premature and apocalyptic judgments on his suitability.

On Wednesday, at the Bernabeu in the second leg of the Spanish equivalent of the Community Shield, he was restored to the right, his most effective station. Figo, who has been welcoming to the Englishman, was moved across as Carlos Queiroz, Madrid's new coach who followed Beckham from Manchester, reconfigured the midfield into a diamond shape not unlike the one used by Sven Goran Eriksson's England. It had Zidane at its apex and the unconvincing Esteban Cambiasso at the base and surely killed off, once and for all, the idea that Beckham would eventually succeed in the centre. His attributes are clear and they are not those needed to play that role.

The reshuffle worked to spectacular effect - with Beckham scoring a rare headed goal and able to find his range of cross-field passes - although Madrid are desperately in need of defensive reinforcements and the diamond may not be forever. They will be delighted, having lost Claude Makelele, whose sense of grievance grew after the arrival of Beckham, if they can secure the services of Valencia's formidable defender Roberto Ayala.

Still for Beckham the breakthrough may well have come, especially as it was made at the Bernabeu, even if the crowd included a high ratio or tourists and casual fans rather than the Madrilenos who will be out in force tonight. They will demand further evidence of his assimilation. Beckham has shown courage and a willingness to make the move work. Indeed it should not be forgotten that he is in good company, with Ronaldo, when it comes to having to win over doubters. As Beckham himself noted: "They also questioned Zidane and he's probably the best player in the world. Real Madrid are a massive club and it is a huge challenge but if I didn't think I could succeed, I would not have come."

It is a huge challenge. The hostile Catalan press have had another dig. The sports paper Mundo Deportivo declared: "Beckham continues on the outside" referring to his position on and off the field. It could just be there, however, that he will be most at home.