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The love story between Lionel Messi, David Beckham and Inter Miami has just begun.. The Argentine, the undisputed idol of any American football fan, has managed to exceed all expectations, equaling and even surpassing other American sports phenomena such as LeBron James, Michael Jordan or Tom Brady. In an interview with The Athletic magazine David Beckhamco-owner of a club in the Florida peninsula with Jorge Mas, revealed all the intricacies of the operation, which should have begun just over ten years ago, when he was still a professional player.
“This is the largest sports market in the world. To move Leo Messi to Inter Miami, to MLS, a year after winning the World Cup, to a team that is three years old… is an incredible achievement.”, I would start by explaining the former English player. And the thing is, Beckham “never thought he could rekindle the same feelings he had when he was an active player” now, a reference in sports management schools. “When they called me (to sign Messi), I had the same feeling as when I left Old Trafford or Wembley. I said to myself: “We just won all the competitions to sign the best player who has ever played our football.”“, he explained.
However, the idea of trying to sign Messi to a “newborn” club like Inter Miami goes well beyond the date of its inception. “The whole topic of inviting Messi comes up in conversation after a few glasses of wine with a meal.“- recalls the Englishman. “I turned to Jorge and said: “One day we need Messi to come to our club.” Probably when we met. In fact, the other day I found one of the first presentations on my phone that made by (advertising agency) Doubleday & Cartwright. They mocked up one of the logo t-shirts and Leo was wearing it.. This was ten years ago. So I always had that in mind. Probably every sports franchise owner thinks: “We want to bring the best players to our club.” Does this happen to everyone? Of course not. But we sat at dinner and talked: “Well, if we can bring Leo to our market, to our fans, to this part of the world, there will be no one better.”Beckham finishes.
It took more than a decade for the idea of seeing Messi in Inter Miami’s salmon colors materialize. For Beckham, June 7, 2023 is a very significant date in his personal life, the day when the world champion said “yes, I want” to his project.. “I was in Japan with my family and woke up at 5 am because my phone would not stop vibrating,” recalls Beckham. “My wife (former Spice Girls pop star Victoria) yelled at me, ‘Really? Turn off your phone! I looked at my phone and thought, “What happened? Something happened”. I put on my glasses and say, “Leo is coming! Made! He announced it. My wife said to me: “How did you announce it?” I told him, “He was on TV and said he was moving to Inter Miami,” he says excitedly, to nod later, “I still get goosebumps every time I think about it.“.
Glaser’s future at Manchester United
Is it time for the Glazers to leave the club? I think so. I think it’s just because the fans want it. When you lose fans, especially at a club like Manchester United, it’s hard to get them back. Obviously, they (the Glazers) have achieved a lot and financially, the fact that we are talking about the numbers that Manchester United will sell for shows how successful they are. But there must be changes. We’ve all seen it, we all know it.”
“Off the field, as a fan and a former player, I just want the problem to be solved. There must be a decision (regarding ownership). Whoever runs your club, you want them to be passionate, involved, make the right decisions, bring in the right players, and invest in the club. The club needs investment, be it in the training facility, in the stadium, in the field, etc. You have to do important things and you have to make changes, especially when you see what a team like Manchester City is doing.
tenhaga project
“These were not the best times for Manchester United on or off the pitch. “Seeing Eric arrive is a breath of fresh air. He had to make some difficult decisions, but he did it in the most elegant way and with the fans by his side.”
Join United’s board of directors
“I have a lot of things to do here right now and my focus is solely on Miami and everything that happens in my business. They have not contacted me and I believe that any relationship with Manchester United means a lot to me in the future. But who knows? Let’s see what happens in the coming weeks or months. I hope that a decision is made, and if I do anyway. If not, then I’ll be a United fan and just do what all the other fans do, go see our team.”