Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham revealed he started the attempt to bring Lionel Messi to the American Club in 2019 when he met the Argentine father, Jorge Messi.
In 2018–2019 season, Lionel Messi and Barcelona were on the verge of winning the treble, but they ended the season with only the LA Liga title.
The Barcelona team failed to win the Copa del Rey final, and they were eliminated from the Champions League by Liverpool. Despite all these, Beckham never gave up the prospect of signing Messi.
In his latest interview, Beckham said, “We’d been talking to Leo’s father for a long time, five years. Me and my partner in Miami sneaked into a hotel to meet Leo’s dad five years prior to him signing for us.”
“And I said to him, I know Leo’s not ready right now, but I want your son to play for my club in the future.”
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi, brought unimaginable attention to the MLS after joining Inter Miami on July 15, 2023.
Lionel Messi inspired Inter Miami to their first Cup last season, scoring 10 goals in seven games for the American club.
The Inter Miami side are now thriving in the MLS after they signed four former Barcelona players: Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.
These signings had boosted the profile of the David Beckham franchise and the league as a whole. The stadium continues to sell out due to the presence of these superstars.
The former Real Madrid midfielder founded the Miami franchise in 2018.
The franchise was something he was contractually guaranteed after he signed a lucrative deal with MLS club Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007.
David Beckham revealed what happened the first time he heard Lionel Messi would be joining Inter Miami:
Beckham couldn’t hold back his tears when he heard Lionel Messi would be moving to Inter Miami after he decided to quit Paris Saint-Germain.
The Inter Miami co-owner said, “Four or five in the morning, I’m in bed in Japan, and my phone keeps buzzing.”
“Victoria elbows me and says, Turn your phone off; we need to sleep. we’re jetlagged. I reach over, put my glasses on, and then see, ‘Leo Messi has decided to come to Miami.’ I sit up in my bed, and I start crying.”
“Victoria is like, What’s happened? What’s wrong? Who has died? And I’m like, Leo’s coming. I go online, and it’s all across social media. I then spoke to my partner Jorge, and he said, Can you believe it?”
This season, Inter Miami are currently at the top of the Eastern Conference of the MLS. The American team had played five matches with 10 points.
What do you think about Lionel Messi changing the dynamics of Inter Miami? Air your views in the comments section.
