“I was thinking ‘what’s gone off?’” – David Beckham opens up on moment when Lionel Messi decided to join Inter Miami
David Beckham received a "million messages" when Lionel Messi announced his decision to join Inter Miami. The former Manchester United midfielder was caught surprised by the barrage of messages but was aware that the Argentine was going to join his MLS side.
Messi left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the end of last season and was keen on rejoining Barcelona. However, he did not want to wait around until late in the summer window before finding out if the club could afford his return.
The Argentine quickly picked Inter Miami as his next club and announced it in an interview with SPORT. Beckham, who is the co-owner of the MLS side, was hit by a stream of messages soon after the deal was made public.
Beckham 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."
He added:
"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."
Lionel Messi is currently on vacation and will be heading to Miami later this month.
Lionel Messi rejected Saudi Arabian move for Inter Miami
Lionel Messi had a world-record offer on his table from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal but chose to reject it in favor of a move to Inter Miami. MARCA claimed that the Saudi Arabian side offered €500 million per season to the Argentine.
Inter Miami have reportedly signed Messi on a €50 million per year deal. He will also be receiving a fixed percentage from Adidas and Apple, as per ESPN, in addition to the wages from the MLS side as a part of the contract.
Lionel Messi, who is currently on vacation in the Bahamas, will soon make the short trip to Miami and join his new teammates.