Beckham delivered on the financial side, with Real overtaking his old team as the richest club in the world and cracking the lucrative Asian market thanks to his presence, but sporting success eluded the nine-times European champions.
The irony was that although he was seen by many as the ultimate expression of Perez's glamorous recruitment policy, the midfielder's work ethic, professionalism and team spirit made him the antithesis of the Galactico era.
The problem for Beckham, who had turned down the chance to go to Real's arch-rivals Barcelona, was that he had joined a team that was in decline and almost constant institutional chaos.
Beckham had played under just one manager, Alex Ferguson, during his 14 years at Manchester United. In his four years at Real he had six coaches, five sporting directors and four club presidents.
He did his utmost to prove he had not just been signed to improve shirt sales, but his overblown media profile often obscured his genuine skills as a footballer.
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