Madrid: Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham was left on the bench for a second league match in succession for the first time since he joined the club in 2003.
New signing Jose Antonio Reyes, who has been in impressive form since joining Real from Arsenal in the close season, started on the right side of midfield in place of the former England captain for Saturday's Primera Liga game at Real Betis.
Fabio Capello has made it clear he will rotate the squad more than his predecessors as coach and club captain Raul was also left among the substitutes.
Beckham was also left out of the starting lineup for last week's game against Real Sociedad but came on late in the game to score a coolly taken individual goal and wrap up a 2-0 win at the Bernabeu.
The last time Beckham was left on the bench for two consecutive matches was shortly before he left Manchester United.
The 31-year-old stepped down as England captain after this year's World Cup and has been dropped from the national squad by new coach Steve McClaren.
Real Madrid have said they are close to agreeing a two-year extension to Beckham's contract with the club, which expires at the end of the season.
The midfielder has said on a number of occasions he is happy at Real and plans to stay until the end of his career.
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