David Beckham approached Lionel Messi’s father back in 2019 to discuss a groundbreaking move to MLS, and five years later his persistence paid off for Inter Miami

David Beckham couldn’t believe his luck when presenting Lionel Messi to the fans of Inter Miami

Lionel Messi changed Major League Soccer forever when he formally signed for Inter Miami on July 15, 2023, but franchise owner David Beckham had been in talks over a potential move since 2019.

Miami is now thriving in MLS and has four former Barcelona stars in their squad, with Messi the key player. Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba have all joined Messi in Miami, boosting the profile of Beckham’s franchise and the league as a whole.

Beckham founded Miami as a franchise back in 2018, something he was contractually guaranteed after signing a lucrative deal with Los Angeles Galaxy back in 2007 that included a future MLS organization as an added clause. They didn’t play their first game until 2020, but Beckham already had his sights set on Messi when planning for the future.

Messi and Barcelona were on the verge of history during the 2018/19 season, as after winning La Liga they missed out on the treble after losing the Copa del Rey final and were on the receiving end of a stunning Liverpool comeback in the Champions League. Messi also won the Ballon d’Or for his performances that year, but that didn’t deter Beckham and his aspirations.

“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,” Beckham revealed on This Life of Mine with James Corden. “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.'”

It may have been a bold move at the time, but everything changed for Barcelona, Messi, Beckham, and then Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. Due to financial struggles at Barcelona they had no choice but to let Messi leave the club, as they couldn’t afford to keep him.

Messi was in tears during a farewell speech and soon joined PSG, but he refused to extend his two-year contract in France due to not enjoying his time in the capital. Beckham knew that this was their chance, but faced heavy competition from the Saudi Arabian League who had just lured Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.

“Fast forward five years, we knew that month there was a decision to be made because Leo had announced that he was leaving PSG,” Beckham explained. Miami then reopened discussions and Beckham shared when he first found out that Messi had opted to join Miami. “Four or five in the morning I’m in bed in Japan, and my phone keeps buzzing.

Messi later delivered Beckham and Miami their first trophy in franchise history
“Victoria (Beckham) 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?'”

Messi inspired Miami’s first trophy last season after scoring 10 goals in seven games to lead them to Leagues Cup success. In his first full season with Miami they’re top of the Eastern Conference, and stadiums continue to sell out as fans rush to catch a glimpse of the star.