Beckham equals Bobby Moore appearance record

England coach Fabio Capello brought on the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder, who is on loan at AC Milan, to replace Stewart Downing but he was unable to prevent his side going down 2-0 to the European champions.

"I've always said I would be honoured to be up there with the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton and Bobby Moore," Beckham told ITV television.

"I've always worked hard at my game and always worked hard at what I enjoy doing and I have had some great managers along the way and great managers that have had faith in me and I'm enjoying my football," he added.

"As long as I am enjoying myself and keeping fit, it's what I love doing and I hope to continue."

Beckham, who turns 34 in May, has been on good form during his loan spell in Italy and is due to remain with Milan until next month. He has said he wants to stay on but Galaxy have rejected a first offer from the Serie A club.

He put in a typically energetic performance on Wednesday but his evening was tainted when he was booked for protesting a decision and was roundly booed and whistled by the Spanish fans.

A superb crossfield pass from Beckham gave Shaun Wright-Phillips a goalscoring opportunity while a neat dribble and pass put Carlton Cole clean through on goal but the West Ham striker saw his shot cleared off the line.

Beckham said the game was more important than his appearance record and the England players were disappointed they did not put in a better performance.

"They were always going to bring pressure on us, they always keep the ball well and pass it around well," he said.

"They got two good goals - the first one was a good finish, overall maybe they deserved it. We'll move on."