David Beckham finally reveals what convinced Lionel Messi to complete stunning MLS move

David Beckham has claimed that Lionel Messi was only interested in one thing when he signed the dotted line for Inter Miami, when he could have walked into any team across the world

David Beckham has spoken out on why Lionel Messi really chose to sign for Inter Miami ahead of other clubs.

The Argentinian has enjoyed an illustrious career that most footballers can only dream of, with 12 league titles, four Champions Leagues and eight Ballon d'Ors to his name through his time with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. Couple this with his World Cup win from 2022 and his two respective Copa America titles, and it's easy to see why many football fans see Messi as the greatest footballer to have ever played the beautiful game.

While he spent the most part of his career at Barcelona, playing for the Catalonian side for a whopping 17 years between 2004 and 2021, he parted ways with his boyhood club for a new test with PSG. Two Ligue 1 titles and a Trophee des Champions later, and Messi was free to make the move once again.

The now 37-year-old could have easily walked into any top-flight club across the globe, but he decided to snub the Premier League and Serie A, along with the financial lure of Saudi Arabia, in sight of chasing the American dream with Beckham's Inter Miami. And while some were baffled at the move, Beckham has since revealed exactly why Messi chose the States.

Speaking at the Stella Artois Let's Do Dinner in New York, the co-owner of Inter Miami explained: "All he was interested in is a place where his family could come enjoy and have a great life. That was really important for Leo. I mean, from day one, from the moment he put his foot down in Miami, it's been a dream, honestly."

Praising the fast forward, he added: "Everybody's got their opinion on who they think is the best player of all time – whether it be Diego Maradona, Pele, all of these great players. But to say that we have in the MLS, in Miami, the greatest player to play the game, it's just like a dream, you know?

"It's a dream every time that I'm there. If I go for the whole of the summer, which I went for four weeks this summer, I go into training every single day because, personally, I can't believe we've got Leo. Secondly, I just want to watch what he does. And that's a special thing for us."

Since making the move to Miami, Messi has certainly made his mark. The top talent won the Leagues Cup last year, scoring in the final against Nashville SC, which went to an incredibly tense penalty shootout after finishing 1-1. Messi stepped up to the plate during the high-stakes showdown, converting his own spot kick alongside the likes of Sergio Busquets, Leonardo Campana and Jordi Alba to win 10-9 on penalties.

Messi has gone on to rack up 32 appearances for Inter Miami, scoring 27 goals and setting up a further 17. While he may be closer to 40 than he is 30, he has showed no signs of slowing down in the world of competitive football, and continues to be a handful for opposing defences in the US.

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