They're calling it the Beckham Effect, the extraordinary, almost immeasurable response David Beckham's whistlestop tour Down Under had in both Australia and New Zealand.

The soccer superstar, visiting both countries for the first time and borne along on a wave of fan hysteria, drew 80,000 to the match between the MLS's Los Angeles Galaxy and the A-League's Sydney FC last Tuesday and 35,000 - a national record - to Saturday's match with the Wellington Phoenix of New Zealand.

They were massive crowds for exhibition games, games with little lasting meaning, and it was Beckham's presence alone, the singular drawing power of one of sport's hottest properties, that filled stadiums in Sydney and Wellington.

In New Zealand, where soccer is a minor sport, thousands queued at Wellington Airport to glimpse Beckham on arrival, an estimated 18,000 - mostly school children - attended the Galaxy's only training run on Friday.

Hundreds kept vigil outside the team's downtown hotel for the three days of Beckham's stay, satisfied to see the England player from a distance, barely daring to hope for a wave or an autograph.

In Sydney, the reaction to Beckham's visit was similar - crowds at Sydney Airport, crowds at his hotel. Hundreds turned up at a downtown department store to see Beckham launch his new range of perfumes for men.

And unlike many sports superstars - happy to be kept at arms length from fans - Beckham didn't disappoint. At every media call he said the right things, behaved with a winning charm and humility that helped win over even his hardest critics.