England captain David Beckham has described Chelsea as a "major contender" for the Champions League.

"They have a young manager who has come in and keeps the pressure off the players with the way he is. He is well respected for that," said Beckham.

"People said it was going to take a while for them to gel but they have gelled straight away and it is full credit to the manager and the players.

"Seeing how they're performing they're a major Champions League contender."

Jose Mourinho's Chelsea reached the quarter-finals by knocking out Barcelona, who Beckham's Real Madrid trail in La Liga by 11 points.

Real are also out of the Champions League - having lost 2-1 to Juventus on aggregate.

"I think Manchester United have got great, young players and experience too. Arsenal have the same but Chelsea have a man in owner Roman Abramovich, who has got the money and is supporting the club," added Beckham, who has been linked with a switch to the Blues.

"It is a good mixture because they have got a lot of good, young English players and a lot of foreign players who have come in and performed well."

Real's failure in Europe means Beckham looks certain to end his second season in Spain without any silverware but the midfielder insists it will only make him and his team-mates more determined next year.

"I want to win something with Real Madrid and it is looking unlikely now that it will happen this season," he said.

"Of course that has to motivate me and the other players to go on and win something because a club like Real Madrid needs to win trophies."