When a disappointed David Beckham stalked out of the stadium in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, after England’s loss to Portugal during last summer’s soccer World Cup, he was wearing a scowl, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Whether he was also wearing his World Cup credential, normally found draped around the necks of players, coaches, referees, journalists and tournament officials, is up for debate.

Within days of Beckham’s signing a projected $250-million contract to play for Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy, that credential , or one purporting to be the real thing , showed up on EBay. It was offered on the online auction site by a German dealer. The theory is that Beckham, disgusted by England’s 3-1 loss on penalty kicks, had flung it aside, or he simply left it behind or gave it to someone as a souvenir.

Whatever the provenance, the credential was sold to a German buyer for $222.53.

Little more than a month has passed since Beckham’s Galaxy deal, and Beckham-mania has flourished on EBay. The number of Beckham collectibles being offered surpassed 1,000 in the week of his signing, and although the number dropped to 760 on Monday, interest remained high.

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