Beckham-mania takes root in California, and beyond

Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham waves beside his wife Victoria at a party at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles July 22, 2007.[Reuters]

　　David Beckham has already made a significant splash since arriving in the America's entertainment capital, despite being restricted to a 12-minute debut for his new team because of a lingering ankle injury.

　　The 32-year-old, one of the most recognizable figures in the game, has triggered unprecedented fan interest at Los Angeles Galaxy.

　　The England midfielder lit up the Home Depot Center on Saturday when he finally came on as a substitute for the Galaxy in an exhibition match against Chelsea.

　　Although Beckham was on the field for only 12 minutes, plus four minutes of stoppage time, every move he made sparked an eruption of cheers from the capacity crowd of 27,000.

　　The match attracted a record television audience for a match involving a Major League Soccer team on ESPN of around 1.47 million. Roughly one percent of homes with ESPN tuned in to watch the action.

　　One of soccer's most marketable players during his time with Manchester United and Real Madrid, Beckham has already made his number 23 Galaxy shirt the biggest seller.

　　More than 200,000 replica shirts were snapped up by fans last week as Beckham-mania took root in Southern California and beyond.

　　"We have never come across anything like it," Chris McGuire, sports marketing manager for adidas soccer, said in a statement.

　　"At this time, the LA Galaxy David Beckham jersey is the No.1-selling shirt in the world."

　　While Beckham's popularity with the fans appears to be soaring to new heights at the start of his American Adventure, he is also making waves in Tinseltown.

　　David and his pop star wife Victoria enjoyed a head start as they live in Beverly Hills mansion not too far from close friends Tom Cruise and his wife Katie Holmes.

　　The Cruises gave the Beckhams plenty of advice before their move from Madrid to Los Angeles and hosted an invitation-only, celebrity party for the English couple on Sunday.

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