“I had the feeling I had when I walked out at Old Trafford or Wembley” – David Beckham opens up on ‘hell of an achievement' of signing Lionel Messi
David Beckham had the same feeling as walking out at Old Trafford or Wembley for the first time when he got the confirmation of Lionel Messi's signing. The Inter Miami co-owner added that they were proud to beat all competition to sign the 'greatest player' in the history of football.
Beckham has been keen on signing Messi for his MLS club ever since its inception. He has always insisted that the Argentine is the best player ever and has now got him to play for his club.
Speaking to The Athletic, Beckham stated that getting Messi to Inter Miami is up there with the best moves in American sports history. He compared the feeling to that of his playing days and said:
"This will be up there with the biggest moves in American sporting history. And we're talking about the biggest sporting market in the world. Bringing Leo Messi to Inter Miami, to MLS, the year after he wins the World Cup, to a team that is three years old… it's a hell of an achievement."
He added:
"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, 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'."
Lionel Messi has already made his debut for Inter Miami and made a big impact in the match. They ended their winless streak thanks to a 94th-minute winner from the Argentine against Cruz Azul, and he followed it up with a brace and an assist in the 4-0 win over Atlanta United in the Leagues Cup.
Lionel Messi's Inter Miami announcement saw David Beckham get a 'million messages'
David Beckham claimed that he got to know about Lionel Messi's announcement because of the text messages he received. He added that he was aware of the agreement, but did not know that the Argentine was going to make it public.
Messi made the decision not to join Barcelona in June and told Mundo Deportivo and SPORT in an interview that he was moving to Inter Miami. Beckham was not aware that the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was going to announce it and was quoted by Daily Mail as saying:
"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."
Beckham has previously joked that Lionel Messi running past him with ease during Barcelona vs PSG in the UEFA Champions League was the moment he decided to retire.