PARIS — One day last week, David Beckham clogged foot traffic on the Champs-Élysées when he made a promotional appearance at the Adidas store. Wearing bright yellow sneakers and his seemingly indefatigable smile, Beckham was like catnip for tourists and locals alike as they walked past the majesty of the nearby Arc de Triomphe and crowded a cramped storefront instead, hoping to snap a camera-phone picture of soccer’s perpetually coifed superstar.

This sort of attention has been standard for Beckham for years now, of course, and so it was in France as it was in England, Italy and the United States before. But while Beckham’s move to Paris St.-Germain in January created the expected buzz — and surely will not hurt Victoria Beckham’s involvement in the French fashion industry — it is barely a footnote in the larger narrative about a controversial and divisive shift in the overall philosophy of one of Europe’s most significant clubs.

Put simply: P.S.G. suddenly has a credit card with no limit. This is hardly unique in European soccer — soccer teams seem to be the new plaything for oligarchs and Middle Eastern consortiums these days — but when a group known as Qatar Sports Investment took over P.S.G. in 2011, its cash flow rocketed the bankroll into a dimension previously unseen in the more modest surroundings of the French league.

In the past, quality players would typically make a name in France and then leave for fame and fortune in England or Spain; now, suddenly, P.S.G. is star-shopping with abandon, signing players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Javier Pastore, Thiago Silva, Lucas and, yes, even Beckham, in an effort to become a European powerhouse akin to Real Madrid and Manchester United. Since 2011, P.S.G. has spent more than €250 million (about $325 million) on players, with designs on another spree this summer that could include the Manchester United star Wayne Rooney. The results have followed, too; on Wednesday, P.S.G. advanced to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League after a 1-1 tie with Valencia gave it a 3-2 aggregate victory.