“We snuck into a hotel, met Jorge Messi and started the conversation” – David Beckham on his covert trip to convince Lionel Messi about Inter Miami
David Beckham, co-owner of the Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami CF, has shed light on how Lionel Messi's move to the USA originated in a conversation 10 years ago.
Having parted ways with Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the 2022-23 season, Messi turned down a return to Barcelona and advances from Saudi Arabia to join Inter Miami.
A decade ago, Beckham, who was then playing for LA Galaxy, met Messi's father Jorge for the first time and expressed his desire to see the Argentine superstar play in the MLS.
“It all came from a conversation over a glass of wine at dinner. I turn to Jorge and say, ‘One day, we need Lionel 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,” he told The Athletic.
The former England star recalled telling Jorge that he could not think of anyone better than Messi to play for his club.
“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’,” he added.
Nine years after that conversation, Beckham flew to Barcelona from London in September 2019 for a secret meeting with Jorge to lay the foundations for Messi's Miami move.
“We got on a plane and flew to Barcelona from London secretly. We snuck into a hotel, met Jorge Messi (Lionel’ Messi'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’,” he explained.
The Englishman also stated the importance of Jorge Mas, co-owner of Inter Miami, in securing the deal.
“Then obviously Jorge (Mas, Inter Miami co-owner) 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,” he added.
When Messi announced that he will join Inter Miami in the MLS through interviews with SPORT and Mundo Deportivo, Beckham was on the other side of the globe with his wife.
“I was in Japan with the family and woke up at 5 am because my phone kept vibrating. My wife (former Spice Girls pop star Victoria) was like, ‘Really?! Turn your phone off!’. I look on my phone and I’m like, ‘What’s happened? Something’s happened!’,” he stated.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player disclosed that he was pleasantly surprised by Lionel Messi's announcement and had no prior intimation of his decision.
“I put my glasses on and I’m like, ‘Leo (Lionel Messi) is coming! It’s done! He has announced it!’. My wife was like, ‘What do you mean he has announced it?’. I said, ‘He has gone on TV and said he’s coming to Inter Miami!’. I get goosebumps talking about it,” he added.
"His father told me that he needed a place where he won't be under pressure" - Barcelona president on Lionel Messi's MLS move
After leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the 2022-23 season, Lionel Messi was linked with a return to Barcelona, a club where he spent 21 years after coming through their ranks. He remains the Catalan giants' record appearance holder (778 matches) and top scorer (672 goals).
Messi won the Ballon d'Or six times during his time at Barca, and also helped them to four UEFA Champions League and 10 La Liga titles, among other honours.
Barca president Joan Laporta recently revealed that the La Liga giants were interested in re-signing Messi. However, the Argentine World Cup-winning captain preferred moving to the MLS as he was looking to play in a league where he won't be under pressure to perform.
"Leo [Lionel Messi] was coming from a situation in Paris where he was under a lot of pressure. His father told me that he needed a place where he won't be under pressure, and at Barca, that would not be the case because of the meaning of the return of our hero," he told ESPN.
Lionel Messi has made a quick start to his Inter Miami career. He came off the bench to score a free-kick winner against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup on July 21. Later, on his first start for the club on July 25, he scored twice and assisted once to help his team to a 4-0 win against Atlanta United.