David Beckham is apparently the new Michael Jackson. Don’t worry, his nose is fine, and he hasn’t done anything illegal with minors. But he has caused a screaming, fainting, police-restraining frenzy a la Michael Jackson in 1984. Beckham went to visit leukemia patients at Shanghai’s Xinhua Hospital, where all sorts of mass chaos ensued. After bystanders charged the hospital, police actually had to seal off several of the hospital’s entrances and refuse people admission. David Beckham seems like a great guy, but damn. That’s pretty hardcore.

Hundreds of fans, staff, the media and curious bystanders converged upon the hospital, prompting police to close off access to a wing of Xinhua Hospital, an AFP reporter witnessed. No-one was allowed to enter or leave the wing for several hours.

One woman screamed hysterically as angry police refused to allow her inside, and organizers were forced to cancel a donation ceremony scheduled to take place outside the hospital.

“I want to see a doctor,” she said as she tried to fight her way in.

Beckham is in Shanghai with his US club, LA Galaxy, for an exhibition match against a Shanghai-Hong Kong team on Wednesday.

Police struggled to clear people away from the ward’s main entrance, holding up Beckham’s car for at least 15 minutes.

[From Yahoo! News]

That is some serious Beckham love right there. No word on if anyone ripped off clothing or threw panties in David’s general direction. Yahoo points out that David Beckham is VERY popular in Asia, where he drew huge crowds during the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. His name is even used (without his permission) to promote a brand of Chinese condoms – which has become a bestseller. Nothing says “National Obsession” quite like getting your name on a condom. Why Brad Pitt doesn’t have a line out for Trojan here makes no sense to me. The L.A. Galaxy soccer team is in Shanghai on a three-city tour of Asia. They lost to FC Seoul on Saturday, and will play in Hong Kong against a South China side on March 9.

Here’s David visiting sick children at Xinhua Hospital yesterday – along with the huge crowd of fans. Images thanks to WENN.