GET REAL PRESIDENT, COACH OF SPANISH SOCCER POWER ACTING LIKE SPOILED CHILDREN OVER BECKHAM'S DEPARTURE.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

Oh, stop your crying. It's so unbecoming. A distinguished world soccer power like yourself, acting like someone just stole your favorite ball.

Get over it. David Beckham is our little superstar now. Our king of the tabloids. L.A.'s newest paparazzi sensation.

Alas, it appears the good soccer people of Real Madrid just can't let Beckham cross the pond in peace. No tip of the cap and best of luck. No gentlemanly behavior allowed.

Nope, they have to go and a have a snit. Act like their shin guards headed north and squeezed the blood to the brain.

Beckham was free to -- and almost encouraged by Real Madrid -- to sign with another club last week. So Thursday he did, settling for a cool $250 million with the Galaxy.

Someone's going to blame an athlete for agreeing to a quarter of a billion dollars? That would be single guy turns down a date with Beyonce, librarian spurns George Clooney. These things don't happen.

Yet Real Madrid is clearly having a very hard time with all this. First Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello responded by saying he would not play Beckham the rest of the season.

Wah, wah.

That only means Beckham would have to go about six months without playing competitive soccer before joining the Galaxy.

Understand, Real Madrid is sort of used to having its way on the world soccer scene.

Anyway, it used to.

It has won three world championships. It was named by FIFA, the world soccer governing body, as the ``20th Century's Best Club.'' Its club is sort of the New York Yankees of soccer. It wants superstars and is willing to pay the going rate. It signed Zinedine Zidane in 2001, Ronaldo in 2002 and Beckham in 2003. Alex Rodriguez was unavailable.

Ironically, the Spanish press started dubbing the club Los Galacticos.

Beckham thought it had a ring.

Real Madrid made a two-year offer to Beckham to return, but for some reason he and his pop-star wife decided this offer from the U.S. was more interesting.

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon responded by sticking out his tongue and saying his daddy was bigger than Beckham's daddy.

Tuesday, Calderon belittled Beckham, calling him some Hollywood wannabe -- like that would make him different from anyone in L.A. -- and that he signed with the Galaxy because nobody else really wanted him.

``The proof that our technical staff was correct not to retain him has been borne out by every other technical staff in the world not wanting him, even though he was out of a contract,'' Calderon said.

Calderon then stomped his feet, demanded a cinnamon lollypop and added: ``David Beckham is going to be some kind of film actor living in Hollywood.''

Wah, wah, wah.

Glad they're taking this all so well. It's not like the Getty just bought out the Prado.

This is an English midfielder opting out for a clearly better offer. A player they implied was washed up.

Real Madrid is apparently so marvelous, it doesn't even need Beckham; it just needs to be needed by Beckham.

Beckham, playing the adult, elected not to respond.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid attempted to go into spin control. Somebody apparently got to Calderon and told him to quit acting out like he's just lost his binky.

Soon a statement was issued by Calderon, who had also ripped Real Madrid players for displaying ``egotism and vanity,'' on the team Web site that read: ``The first thing is to say I'm sorry, a thousand times sorry, to everyone to whom I have offended. Everything I have done at this club since I arrived at Real Madrid has been for the good of the club and my affection and my defense of the players will always be above anything else.''

Well, most of the time anyway.

And he added: ``During the questions, it is true, I made a series of remarks which could have caused annoyance.''

You think? It was one of those almost apologies. Not much of one actually, since the club also ripped the outlet that released the information.

``Real Madrid wishes to express its surprise and indignation because a journalist from LaCOPE ... violated the intimacy of a private function which attempted to be academic in its content and nature, and has turned it into an act of disloyalty and disrespect toward the university, the students present and the good faith of the president,'' the team said.

It was one of those marvelous admissions of responsibility, which is actually all someone else's fault.

See, it's not just an American trait.

Trouble is, COPE is a radio station that was broadcasting the speech to students.

Maybe Real Madrid is suffering from separation anxiety. There, there, dry those tears. There'll be another superstar one day.

Best to let it go.

Here in L.A., we know how to deal with celebrities. Also, how to say: adios.

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CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) DAVID BECKHAM

(2 -- color) FABIO CAPELLO

(3 -- color) RAMON CALDERON

Photos by Getty Images