David Beckham has described why Inter Miami made the move to get Lionel Messi and the impact the astonishing signing has already had in Florida.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner startled the football world when he announced his intention to join MLS as a free agent after his contract with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain expired. At one point, the Argentine legend looked set to return to Barcelona, with big-money offers from the Middle East on the table, but the 36-year-old is now prepared to follow an American dream. Manchester United icon David Beckham had a role in putting the transaction together, revealing why he pushed for Messi and how his phone has been ringing off the hook since the stunning coup was disclosed.
WHAT THEY SAID: Beckham told those at the ‘Lessons in Leadership’ seminar: “A couple of weeks ago, I woke up to about a million messages on my phone. I was thinking, ‘What’s gone off? I don’t usually get this many messages.’ All of a sudden, I hear Leo has come out and announced he’s coming to Miami. Obviously, it wasn’t a surprise to me.
“I have always said, from the word go, that if I had the opportunity to bring the best players in the game to Miami, at whatever time of their careers, I would do that. I have always made that commitment to our fans. So when I hear that one of the best players — if not the best player — who has won everything in the game, who is still a great player, still young and still doing what he’s doing, wants to play for my team, it’s a massive moment for us.”
