Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has reacted angrily to the suggestion that the Spanish club were in some way responsible for David Beckham’s lack of fitness at Euro 2004.

Beckham, who was criticised for some lacklustre performances during the tournament, claimed that he was not as fit as he would like to have been due to a lack of conditioning at the Bernabeu.

“We understand your concerns, David. We agree with you that training was not up to it,” responded Perez.

“But who did not train at all during the Christmas break? Who keeps flying back to England when asked to rest?”

Perez recommended Beckham take responsibility for his own actions and vowed to improve Real Madrid training next season.

In the wake of England’s departure from Euro 2004, Beckham had criticised his club’s training regime, saying: “I don’t think we’ve done as much conditioning work at Madrid as we used to at Manchester United but that’s the way it is in the Spanish league.

“I didn’t feel as fit in the second-half of the season as I did in the first-half and maybe that’s the way the Spanish game is.

“Maybe it has spilled over into Euro 2004, but I’m not going to make excuses.”