You can forgive Spanish soccer fans if they've been led to believe another King Kong movie is about to be filmed soon in Madrid. For looming over the fabled Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, home of Real Madrid, with the power to rattle it to its foundations, is the game's proverbial 800-pound ####.

Why, Arsene Wenger, of course.

Dapper, suave, urbane and accomplished, he could well be Mr. Eligible soon if the boardroom battles at Arsenal aren't resolved to his liking.

With recent news that Arsenal's board are well pleased with the club's improved economic performance despite the heavy debt created by building Emirates Stadium, it looks like the determined takeover bid by American investor Stan Kroenke is facing ever-stiffening resistance, putting a damper on the return of exiled Wenger board ally David Dein.  

An early resolution would best serve the club in it's efforts to get Wenger to renew his contract before it expires at season's end. Should that war of wills and egos, which goaded star striker Thierry Henry into leaving for Barcelona, become an even more drawn-out affair, who could fault Wenger for saying au revoir, Arsenal.

The uncertainty and speculation created by this high-level showdown - will Cesc Fabregas be lured home and join Henry? Will Wenger supplant Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard? - has led some to cheekily refer to the north London club as Barce-nal.

However, the situation at Real Madrid is one that has to tempt Wenger.

Unlike the financially-prudent but competitively-challenged Arsenal, Real is a team of unlimited wealth already well built to defend the Spanish title it holds, comfortably awaiting the group stage of Champions League play. And it's desperate to put the safe, efficient playing style of ex-manager Fabio Capello behind it and return to a more artistic approach. 

Who better, then, to do that than Wenger? He's a manager whose spurned national team opportunities in favour of running a club because a club gives him "more clay" with which to mould a playing style true to his vision.  

He's spent a decade making his Arsenal teams into a showcase for the sort of swift, flowing game the Madrilenos are craving to see again. Real's title success was an unexpected surprise and no one who supports them could be disappointed by it. But a single season of Capello's grim, grey grinding had sapped everyone's patience.

Of course, patience is hardly synonymous with Real. Since sacking Vicente Del Bosque in 2003, the team has gone through managers like grain through a goose. Their next hiring will be their seventh manager in five years.

It can't be a coincidence that, until this latest, unlikely, title, the team had gone trophyless in that time of managerial turmoil

It's a club craving stability. It's a club craving artistic success. Not many men can deliver that. Until Wenger settles his immediate future, not many may be able to do so.

Bernd Schuster, the current coach of Getafe, a plucky suburban Madrid side, had that flair on the field as a player, winning one La Liga title with Barcelona and two with Real. He's rumoured to be the front runner for Real's top job, but you have to think that he'd run a distant second if Wenger's name was in the race.

You also have to think that if he were named as Real's manager tomorrow and Wenger was to stoically see out his contract with Arsenal next season to become a free agent, it would only serve to fuel further rumours for the coming season.

Schuster and Real would be doomed to a year of endless speculation and uncertainty. Schuster's failure could be a foregone conclusion as the potential acquisition of star players may well hinge on Wenger's decision.

Madrid's already suffered a little quiver with the departure of Atletico's Fernando Torres. The next big rumble won't be its marvelous Metro rolling under foot. It'll be the impact of Arsene Wenger's next big decision.

Brace yourselves. 

Poised to end a turbulent time at Real Madrid by winning a championship, David Beckham prepares to depart the grand stage of European soccer in the best way possible - leaving them wanting more.

It's a departure that will vastly overshadow the quieter and more dignified Bernabeu exit of teammate Roberto Carlos, the stellar Brazilian left back whose thunderous left foot has produced some of the game's finest long-range goals.

And it's a departure in style and tone from the soap-opera mayhem that now engulfs Thierry Henry, as speculation wildly swirls about his playing intentions for the coming season. Boardroom sparring and a media-fuelled fire has begun to consume the dignity that embodied Arsenal's gifted striker, it's elegant manager Arsene Wenger, and even the club itself.

Admittedly, the announcement that Beckham was leaving Real Madrid for L.A. Galaxy came amid a similar media circus to that surrounding Henry today. But Beckham has shown a master's touch in handling a tricky situation that could have left himself and Real Madrid surrounded by wreckage. Henry and his prickly agent could take a lesson.

After a tearful ending to the 2006 World Cup and the apparent conclusion of his days playing for England, an awkward start to the current season for both player and club had delivered Beckham to the low point of his career. His decision to move to America was met with widespread derision and scorn, with some of the worst comments coming from Real president Ramon Calderon. Real manager Fabio Capello gravely announced that Beckham would never play for the club again.

Despite an ability to be as manipulative with the media as any sports or showbiz star, Beckham never rose to the bait. He simply returned to the place where he surely must be most at ease, the training ground, and continued to be a complete professional by preparing himself for a possible return to the playing field, should the opportunity arise. And he did it quietly and earnestly.

No one knows a player like teammates do. They see the work put in on the training ground, they know the quality of a character through daily contact in the change room.

It gives them the keenest insight into what that player can offer on the playing field and if it's talent that can't be matched by a replacement, or even a change in tactics, it's not going to sit well with them for long. Especially a team with the pedigree and expectations of Real Madrid.

It spoke volumes when their immedate reaction to the statements from Calderon and Capello was one of total support for Beckham. They wanted him back.

Beckham's eventual return sparked Real on a drive to the top that should end this weekend with yet another Spanish league championship and this could be one of the more storied titles Spain's greatest club has ever earned. That run also forced England manager Steve McLaren to think again and Beckham's re-instatement to the England midfield has revived his country's chances of qualifying for the 2008 European championships.

Throughout the process, Beckham has refused to gloat or speak ill of anyone who misjudged him or his abilities. He's let his play do the talking and once again the highlight reels are filled with goals created by his tantalizing delivery of the ball.

Again, the strongest endorsement he could receive is that of teammates, as prominent England players, such as captain John Terry, have had nothing but the highest praise for his attitude and his play. Terry has vowed to return the captain's armband to Beckham when he plays his 100th career game for England, something that could happen in October or November.

Which means his impending transfer to the L.A. Galaxy is now one of the world's most eagerly anticipated sports events. He's made the step across the Atlantic a short one indeed, arriving still at the top of his game, with some of Europe's most prestigious clubs clamouring for him to reconsider.

 He won't play in front of an empty seat throughout his abbreviated Major League Soccer season and, considering the time he's had off earlier this season while recuperating from injuries, he should still be feeling fresh and energetic. Motivation under these circumstances will not be an issue. This is a man at ease under the hottest of spotlights.

Really, the only concerns facing his arrival involve his new club and the league it plays in.

 Will Beckham's arrival be enough to rescue the Galaxy from their poor start to the season? And will his involvement with England hamper the club at a critical stage in the late season, or possibly in the playoffs?  It's a valid concern given the fact that Beckham could become only the third player to reach 100 games for England late this fall, when playoff concerns could become paramount for the Galaxy.

And will MLS be able to retain some sensibility in the early stages of Beckham's MLS career? It's going to give the league it's highest-ever global profile. Can they resist the giddy temptation to abandon a salary cap and allow the sort of wild spending that brought the demise of the late, lamented North American Soccer League?

All in all, nice problems for MLS to have. Beckham will arrive with his image restored, his dignity intact and a world eager to watch what he will do next. We're in for a treat.