(CNN) -- To most of the world, David Beckham is a soccer player, both hero and goat, at times loved and loathed, depending on which end of his gracefully served free kicks you reside. The hullabaloo over Beckham's arrival on American shores in 2007, however, had little to do with the Beautiful Game. There is no shortage of Americans who see nothing attractive in the sport at all. They don't get it or don't want to. Yet Beckham somehow mattered, if his vocation didn't. With the 38-year-old announcing his retirement Thursday, it's difficult to quantify his ultimate impact on the game in the United States, but it's safe to say he didn't hurt it.
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As Beckham retires, experts say his celebrity lifted game in U.S.
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His first two years in L.A. were abysmal, but he finished U.S. career with two MLS Cups
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Since he joined L.A. Galaxy, MLS player salaries, attendance and expansion fees are up
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Beckham is no "savior of the MLS," says SI's Grant Wahl, but he did a lot to increase exposure
Becks put butts in seats, and opposing teams would develop marketing plans around him to sell tickets when the @placeholder visited, Wahl said.