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FOXBORO - Just days after his official Major League Soccer debut, the superstar of European soccer, David Beckham, comes to Foxboro this weekend with his new team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, to take on the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium Sunday night.

Nicknamed "Goldenballs," the dynamic 32-year-old British midfielder is married to a Spice Girl (Posh, aka Victoria Beckham), often shirtless, and always chiseled. He is earning the highest salary in MLS history, and his arrival in the States has been greeted by a swirl of publicity.

Spenser Powell, a 12-year-old New England Revolution fan from Attleboro, is going to Sunday night's match with a friend. Powell said he is excited to see Beckham's skills in person, and he thinks his fame will help the sport.

"I think it's good for the MLS because he's going to be a big star, and people who aren't soccer fans might actually go to the games just so they can see David Beckham," Powell said. "He'll bring a lot of money to the sport and get it noticed."

Major League Soccer officials are hoping Powell's prediction comes true, as they seek to expand pro soccer's fan base from niche to mainstream. So far, so good: Beckham played his first game Thursday night before a cheering, sell-out crowd of 46,000 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

"It's the biggest thing to impact professional soccer in this country since Pelé - no question," said Peter Roby, the director of Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society, referring to the legendary Brazilian soccer star of the 1950s and 1960s.

"People have had more opportunity to be exposed generally, especially in pop culture, to David Beckham, than they would have had to Pelé if they weren't a hard-core fan," Roby said. "Hard-core soccer fans knew about Pelé, but general sports fans and people that were more interested in pop culture (didn't necessarily)."

Not everyone is thrilled with all the attention being lavished on Beckham.

"For many diehards, Beckham's arrival is more inconvenience than attraction," said Matthew Magliozzi, 21, a devoted New England Revolution fan from South Attleboro. "They've sold 32,000 seats for this game against Los Angeles, and many (fans) are dismayed because the majority will be cheering for a peroxide addict with an ankle that makes Curt Schilling look like an Ironman."

"That being said, I hope he plays," Magliozzi added. "I hope he plays and is utterly embarrassed by Jeff Larentowicz and Shalrie Joseph," two of the Revs' players.

Roby argued that Beckham must be seen as both an athlete and a cultural phenomenon. "It's not like we're talking about someone who has had no success or no credibility, who's just a rock star," he said. "We're talking about a guy who's played on World Cup teams, and made real contributions."

Spenser Powell's sister, Kelcee, 14, agreed.

"He's incredible - his skills, how well he goes down the field," she said.

And, Kelcee admitted, there is another reason she likes to watch Beckham play. "The good looks are a plus," she said.

TED NESI can be reached at tnesi@thesunchronicle.com or 508-236-0434.