One can look out across the golden palatial rooftops of the Forbidden City at the five-star hotel in which David Beckham has just spent his first night in the Chinese capital.

Beckham is not merely the latest in a succession of Anglo-American brands to captivate the masses since the economic reforms pioneered by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s, but has also become a potent symbol of, as well as catalyst for, changing attitudes towards society and sexuality.

It is still too early to say whether the popularity of the former Manchester United player will be sustained long enough to leave an enduring impression upon the consciousness of the world’s most populous nation, but his initial impact has been astonishing. It is possible that Beckham is the most popular Englishman in China’s history; certainly his presence has comprehensively overshadowed the carefully choreographed visit of Tony Blair last week.

It is not just the England captain’s presence on news-stands, buses or Chinese television that attest to his popularity, or even the fact that eclipsed superstars such as Ronaldo, Zidane and Figo have been reduced to being mere witnesses in what has so far become the Beckham tour. No, the most telling insight is gauged by the reaction of ordinary people — neither fans nor journalists — mulling around the shopping districts and working in offices.

This is a culture very different from our own: few faces betray a flicker of recognition if one attempts to communicate in English. But they light up at the mention of Beckham’s name (rendered Da-wei Bei-ke-han-mu in Chinese). In one tall office block where I had a meeting on my first day here, I was stunned to find that two of the female employees had built mini-shrines to their hero at their desks, consisting of posters and, in one case, a home-made statuette.

This is a phenomenon that I encountered while competing in Japan in the build-up to last year’s World Cup, and it cannot simply be explained as the consequence of his good looks coupled with sporting prowess. Certainly his blond locks add to his allure among female fans, something that hit home when I had a drink with a fair-haired English journalist on Wednesday: he was ogled at and occasionally approached by beautiful local women. And I am told that this is a case of straightforward sexual attraction and not the obvious alternative explanation.

It is Beckham’s multi-faceted persona that has driven his celebrity into uncharted territory. Chinese women, unable to understand his words, discern his vulnerability from the body language and demure smile — and they are enchanted by it. Older women want to mother him; younger women to marry him. Young male consumers, who are growing in sophistication, aspire to his “metrosexual” image — advertising-speak for the notion of an urban heterosexual male in touch with his feminine side.

Meanwhile, Beckham is already an icon in Beijing’s fledgeling gay community. And among the mainstream conservative majority, his monogamy and commitment to family are widely admired: all things to all men.

From the perspective of Beijing his billing in America's Men’s Journal magazine as “the most famous athlete in the world” seems less like hype and more like a banal statement of the obvious. In commercial terms he now trails only Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, the two sporting megastars of North American culture. But Woods and Jordan have claims to be the all-time greatest in their respective sports — Beckham is not even in the top three in his club side.

Yet it is conceivable that he will overtake both as economic growth continues apace in what will become the world’s largest economy.

Which is the main reason he was bought by Real. The marketing men will be licking their lips as they begin to comprehend the extent of Beckham’s clout in the Far East. Replica shirts, further promotional tours (the present one will yield ￡5.5 million in appearance fees alone), themed restaurants — the possibilities are endless. On top of this, Real will receive 50 per cent of any future sponsorship deals struck by Beckham for the duration of his four-year contract.

Most gratifying of all, perhaps, is that they will have purloined a sizeable share of the fan base of their fiercest rivals: FutureBrand, the strategic brand consultants, estimate that one third of Manchester United’s 16.6 million Far East supporters will transfer their allegiance to Real.

So, will United be ruing the loss of their former golden boy as they field questions about that very issue on their own promotional tour of the US? Perhaps. But this is largely mitigated by the fact that the club had already outsourced its commercial and merchandising operation to Nike under a 13-year deal made while Beckham was still on their books, guaranteeing a ￡23.3 million yearly income. From that perspective, the transfer can be seen as judicious from the point of view of all parties, including Beckham.

There is still the question of how the player fares on the pitch: he makes his debut for Real tomorrow night in a friendly against an all-China team at the Workers’ Stadium. But often the football seems to get lost amid the commercial and media furore surrounding the softly spoken Englishman — which is why Ferguson off-loaded him in the first place.

My guess is that while Beckham continues to train and compete with the dedication that has characterised his career to date, Real have little to worry about on that score. Unless, that is, his team-mates begin to resent the feeling, while in Asia at least, that they have been transformed from galacticos into gnomes.

For when it comes to mass popularity, no footballer stands as tall as the England captain. In an age of global consumerism, Beckham has become one of the most universally recognisable brands.

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