England captain David Beckham will be out of action for up to a month because of broken ribs, Real Madrid said on Wednesday.

"The player will be out for between three to four weeks," said club doctor Juan Carlos Hernandez.

"He has two hairline fractures to his ribs which make it painful for him to walk and for him to lie down and he finds it difficult to sleep.

"For the moment all he can do is rest and in a few days he will begin specific exercises depending on the levels of pain he experiences. The injury has occurred in the most painful area for these type of fractures."

Beckham collided with Ben Thatcher in England's 2-0 win in a World Cup qualifier against Wales at Old Trafford on Saturday.

He stayed on the pitch long enough to launch a clumsy tackle on Thatcher a few minutes later, a move he claimed was deliberately designed to earn a booking so that he could serve a one-match suspension while he was out injured.

"I could feel the injury...I knew straight away I had broken my ribs...I knew I will be out for a few weeks so I thought: 'Let's get the yellow card out of the way,'" Beckham said.

As well as England's World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan, Beckham will miss Real's back-to-back Champions League fixtures against Dynamo Kiev and up to four league matches including the clash against Spanish champions Valencia.