“I said to Messi: ‘It’s not the way it’s told’” - Ex-Inter Miami star fired by David Beckham after Lionel Messi comments breaks silence
Dutch goalkeeper Nick Marsman has spoken up about the Lionel Messi saga that led to David Beckham sacking him from Inter Miami. The ex-Inter Miami man was let go by the club shortly after he spoke to the press about how the club's ambition to sign Messi may have backfired.
Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham wanted to add Messi to his side for many years. The ex-footballer managed to make a breakthrough with his ambition this year after the Argentine star left PSG in the summer.
Marsman had questioned the club's ambition to sign the 36-year-old, explaining how he felt that the club were not ready for a player of his standing.
He revealed via an interview with Algemeen Dagblad that his comments had been taken out of context, and he has spoken to Messi about it.
"Inter Miami is an ambitious club with big dreams where they try again and again to make the impossible possible. But there were points that made me dismiss the speculation about a possible arrival of Messi at that moment.
"Yes, that was a bit unpleasant. Everyone thought that I had given an interview after the announcement. And I did not want Messi to come. That is how it was presented. But that was not the case. In fact, for me it was also a childhood dream come true.
"I said [to Messi]: 'It's not the way it's told. It's completely taken out of context'. 'No problem, I didn't understand it all myself,' he said. The club also understood when I explained what happened. And they also agreed with me."
Marsman is currently on loan at San Antonio FC, having been registered with the MLS Pool of emergency free agents after his firing. The 33-year-old played nine matches, mostly in the USL, for the side.
David Beckham, Lionel Messi keen to lead Inter Miami to great heights
Since the launching of Inter Miami, David Beckham has sought to make it an excellent club, one of the best in the MLS. He targeted Lionel Messi as his marquee signing, seeing as the Argentine had conquered every peak in his career.
Messi finally joined the club in July 2023 after Beckham did his best to convince him, and he hit the ground running. Captaining the side, he scored a memorable free-kick on his debut to win the game in its dying moments.
David Beckham won his first piece of silverware as Inter Miami co-owner in the summer when Messi led them to Leagues Cup glory. Inter Miami will aim for much more success in the coming years with Messi at the club.