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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(Reuters)