The sentiment was borne out on the field as Beckham looked in a different class to his team-mates, who were content to feed him the ball and wait for his pin-point crosses.

Despite two converted penalties by the Englishman, Galaxy were beaten by South China invitational in a poor advertisement for US football -- and, by extension, for Brand Beckham.

However, he said the tour had been important for the team, coached by Ruud Gullit, as it prepares for the upcoming US season.

"Team spirit can win a game or a championship," Beckham said.

"In these three weeks we've had good bonding between the players on and off the field. That's what it's all about."

Beckham-mania was at its height in 2001, when adoring crowds followed his every move on visits to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand with Manchester United.

One Bangkok fan placed a sculpture of his idol in a Buddhist temple, while a three-metre (10-foot) chocolate image of the young midfielder was created in Japan.

During the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, Beckham's distinctive mohawk hairdo spawned legions of imitators. In 2003, 1,000 screaming fans greeted him as he arrived in Japan with Real Madrid.

Last year, Beckham played in front of huge crowds in Sydney and Wellington, with 15,000 schoolchildren turning up just to watch him train.

And the current tour has not been without its moments. Hundreds of fans and media caused chaos at a Shanghai hospital when Beckham visited leukaemia patients there.

However many Asian fans have shown they are no longer willing to pay high ticket prices to watch Beckham, proving the adage that one player cannot carry the team.

"This is the Galaxy, not Real Madrid," commented Hong Kong Football Association chairman Brian Leung.

(Agencies via CRI March 11, 2008)