Inter Miami president David Beckham has finally spoken out about his team’s biggest signing to date, the arrival of Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner hasn’t actually officially joined Miami yet, but confirmed his desire to do so on June 7th and even though a month has passed since then, he is still expected to turn out for them in the MLS next season.
His signing would certainly be a major coup for Beckham going into Miami’s fourth season, having finished sixth in the Eastern Conference and going out of the MLS Cup Playoffs in the first round.
Messi’s pending move follows reports that he might return to Barcelona or join rival Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia after ending a troubled spell at Paris Saint Germain. His announcement certainly caused a storm, not least on Beckham’s cell phone.
“A couple of weeks ago, I woke up to about a million messages on my phone,” Beckham said. “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.”
A massive moment
He went on to talk about the importance of bringing a player of Messi’s caliber and status to Inter Miami: “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.
“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.”
Messi’s Inter Miami debut is expected to be a Leagues Cup game with Liga MX club Cruz Azul on June 21. Beckham will be hoping it’s a successful new start for his team, having replaced his former Manchester United team-mate Phil Neville with new head coach Gerardo ‘Tato’ Martino.
The Argentine coach knows Messi well, having coached him for a season at Barcelona and two years with the national team. He has a good pedigree in MLS too, having won the MLS Cup with Atlanta United in their second season.
Barcelona reunions
Another veteran of Barcelona’s glory days has also arrived in the shape of Sergio Busquets, who had spent his whole career so far at Camp Nou, performing with incredible consistency across 15 seasons, winning La Liga nine times and the Champions League three times.
However, not everyone is happy with the new arrivals. Mexican international Rodolfo Pizzaro has been one of Miami’s Designated Players, despite spending much of the season on loan at Monterrey. He’s expected to have to make way for Messi and Busquets instead of getting the chance to play alongside them for his former national team coach Martino.
Pizzaro may be set to miss out, but there is lots for Beckham and the fans of Inter Miami to look forward to with this triple Barcelona reunion bringing a taste of La Liga to the MLS.
Written and distributed by Chat T Sports.
