David Beckham's move to Major League Soccer may have been good for his wallet but it has apparently not helped his popularity in Asia.

Empty seats and surprising indifference greeted football's greatest star, who was mobbed like a rockstar on his first trip to the region, as he completed an Asian tour with LA Galaxy.

Just 11,000 paying fans turned up to watch Galaxy's lethargic performance here, leaving most of Hong Kong Stadium empty, while similar numbers watched the team in Shanghai.

Dozens, rather than hundreds, of supporters greeted the former Real Madrid and Manchester United man at Hong Kong airport, while screaming fans at the team hotel were notable by their absence.

Beckham, whose England future has also been clouded by the US move, thanked fans for an "incredible" welcome. However, he may have been wondering why so many of them didn't turn up.

"It's been incredible," he said. "It's been a great tour for us. Everywhere we've gone, people have been amazing to the team and showed us lot of love."

Loyal supporters here said Beckham's profile had dipped since his transfer to Galaxy on a reported 250-million-dollar, five-year deal.

"The fact that you don't get to watch the American league here so much, and the fact he's not playing in the English Premier League or in Spain is a big factor," said fan Chuck Lee.

"He's handsome, he's attractive," said Esther Chan. "But I think the Galaxy is not so good at football."