The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has made a dream start to life in Florida with the help of a guiding hand from a Manchester United legend
Lionel Messi is the new face of MLS. That was always going to be the case when he confirmed Inter Miami as his next destination after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, but he showed the move is not just a marketing stunt in his first two competitive outings for his new club.
Messi marked his debut in a Leagues Cup clash with Cruz Azul by scoring a trademark 94th-minute free-kick to snap Miami's 11-match winless streak, and followed that memorable introduction up with a stunning brace in a 4-0 rout against Atlanta United. Messi fever has taken hold in America, and no one is enjoying it more than Miami co-owner David Beckham.
When Miami were awarded a MLS expansion spot in 2018, Beckham pledged to build the best team in the competition, before adding: "I think Miami needs a star. You have to realise the audience we have and Miami would expect us to bring in a star. That’s what we plan on doing."
At the time, Messi was still very much a one-club man lighting up European football at Barcelona. But Miami stepped up an ambitious bid to make him their 'star' man when his happy marriage with the Blaugrana began to turn sour in 2020.
"I spent three years. A year and a half, very intensely," Miami's managing owner Jorge Mas recently told when quizzed on negotiations with Messi. "I saw it done at the end of May. Beckham talked with Leo, only about football issues, because he was playing. I didn't want him to feel pressured. We've talked in Barcelona, Miami, Rosario, Doha… I spent the entire World Cup in Qatar, watching Argentina."
MLS commissioner Don Garber has added on Beckham's role in the deal: "It’s just not often that things align, and you deliver on the things you say you’re going to deliver. I think that’s cool. David is a special guy. People don’t understand how smart David Beckham is, how thoughtful he is and how hard-working he is."
It's safe to say that Messi would not be in MLS right now if it wasn't for Beckham. And his blossoming friendship with the Argentine great is also bringing joy to supporters across the United States and beyond.
Getty'Dream come true'
Beckham initially paved the way for an influx of top players to MLS when he joined the LA Galaxy after leaving Real Madrid in 2007. It was written into Beckham's contract that he could purchase a franchise for just $25 million, and he exercised that option in 2014 to create Inter Miami.
It was the former England international who shined a spotlight on the potential of soccer in the United States and MLS as a global brand. And the early signs certainly indicate that Messi is capable of fully realising it.
The World Cup winner's unveiling at DRV PNK Stadium was a glitzy affair that saw 21,000 people pack in to watch him being presented with his new No.10 shirt. The event was delayed by a thunderstorm, with Miami chief Mas describing the downpour as "holy water" when eventually accompanying Messi to his specially made stage in the middle of the pitch alongside his brother Jose and Beckham.
Messi's delight was written all over his face and he warmly embraced Beckham, who was visibly emotional when addressing the crowd. "It's a dream come true," he said. "Leo, we are so proud that you have chosen our club for the next stage in your career."
Miami would later release images of Messi's official contract signing in the club's offices, with Beckham watching on next to him like a proud father. The Manchester United legend enjoyed a stellar playing career himself, but seems to be getting just as much joy out of seeing his vision for Miami come to fruition after so many years of hard work.
Beckham said in a recent interview with : "I never thought I would have the same feeling as an owner as I had when I was a player. When I got the phone call [to say Messi had chosen Miami], I had the feeling I had when I walked out at Old Trafford or Wembley. I was like, ‘We’ve just beaten all competition to sign the greatest player to ever play our game’."
AdvertisementGetty10 years in the making
In the same interview, Beckham also revealed that Messi was in his thoughts right from the beginning of his journey in Miami. “It all came from a conversation over a glass of wine at dinner," he said. " I turn to Jorge and say, ‘One day, we need Messi to come to our club’. It was probably when we first met. I actually found on my phone the other day one of the first presentations that (advertising agency) Doubleday & Cartwright did — they mocked up one of the jerseys with the logo on and Leo was wearing it. That was 10 years ago.
"So it was always in my mind. I suppose every owner of a sports franchise thinks, ‘We want to bring the best players to our club’. Does it happen for everyone? Of course not. But we were sat at dinner and we were like, ‘OK, if we could bring Leo for our market, for our fans, for this part of the world, there’s no one better’.”
Even before Inter Miami had played their first MLS game, Messi was on the agenda. In September 2019, Beckham and Mas travelled to Barcelona for a meeting that would pave the way for Messi's eventual arrival in the U.S.
“We got on a plane and flew to Barcelona from London secretly,” said Beckham. “We snuck into a hotel, met Jorge Messi (Lionel’s father and also his agent) and started the conversation. It purely went, ‘We would love your son to play for our team one day. We know he can’t come yet, but one day we would love to have Leo in Miami’.
“Then obviously Jorge (Mas) did an incredible job creating a narrative around what he could do for the sport in this country, what he could do for MLS and what he could do for Inter Miami.”
Tears after Cruz Azul debut
Inter Miami earmarked a July 21 date against Cruz Azul for Messi's debut long before he touched down in the U.S., and Beckham played his part in drumming up anticipation for the game. "We don't know if Leo is going to play the game or if he will have minutes, because I think that, after all, he needs to be ready," the Englishman said to . "We have to protect him and make sure that he is ready, because he has been on vacation and has just arrived in Miami."
New Miami boss Gerardo 'Tata' Martino, who previously worked with Messi during spells in charge of Barcelona and Argentina, ended up introducing Messi as a 54th-minute substitute – but it felt like a pre-planned move designed to invite a rapturous ovation from the capacity crowd.
It certainly had the desired effect anyway, and Messi got himself straight into the thick of the action with the home fans willing him to produce a moment of magic whenever he got on the ball. Despite Messi's best efforts, Cruz Azul managed to keep Miami at bay and the game looked destined for a draw – until the 36-year-old won a free-kick on the edge of the box in stoppage-time.
Messi is well past his prime now, but he remains peerless when it comes to dead-ball execution, and he showed it again with the whole world watching, curling a beautiful effort into the top left-hand corner of the net.
A number of celebrity figures in the stands rose to their feet in awe, including tennis legend Serena Williams, but it was Beckham's reaction that really caught the eye. After sharing a hug with his wife Victoria, Beckham was seen with tears in eyes, and he had to take a deep breath to compose himself.
"As soon as I saw the free-kick given I thought this is the way it's meant to end," the 48-year-old told reporters after the game. "It's so exciting tonight for our fans. All of these people that have come down here to see Leo just step on the pitch, let alone just do what he's done. It's a dream come true for everybody in this stadium and everybody around this country to see Leo step into the MLS and perform, and I don't have many words for that."
Getty ImagesThe power of Thor
Anthony Hopkins' line reading as Odin holding Mjolnir in the 2011 blockbuster 'Thor' is iconic to a certain generation of Marvel fans, not least because it set up one of the most famous scenes in the entire franchise.
When audiences saw Captain America catch Mjolnir in 'Avengers: Endgame' for the first time some eight years later, they cried tears of joy and cheered in unison, as it was finally proven that the power of the hammer did not belong exclusively to Thor.
Messi's eldest son, Thiago, just so happens to be a Marvel fanatic, and his favourite character is the God of Thunder. Miami boss Martino handed Messi his first start for the club against Atlanta United on July 26, and after breaking the deadlock just eight minutes in, the diminutive forward pulled out a Thor-inspired celebration for Thiago and his other two sons, Ciro and Mateo, as they sat pitchside.
If ever there was a footballer worthy of Thor's hammer, it's Messi, and his gesture to summon Mjolnir aptly captured the magic of his immediate impact at DRV PNK Stadium. There was, however, some initial confusion over the meaning of the celebration.
Beckham was sitting close to Messi's family and also had a huge smile on his face as the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner raised his hand. It was suggested on social media that Messi was simulating a 'hold my beer' signal for Beckham, as a tongue-in-cheek way of acknowledging his own brilliance.
However, Messi's wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, later took to social media to set the record straight. She posted an image of Messi performing the celebration with an emoji of Mjolnir and the amusing caption "Thorsday".
So as it turns out, Messi and Beckham did not have their own private celebration organized ahead of time. But the Miami chief reacted with the same child-like exuberance as Messi's sons, which just goes to show how much he has grown to love MLS' new poster boy.