• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
David Beckham reveals how he convinced Lionel Messi to join Inter Miami after secret hotel visit

Home> Football> Football News

Updated 11:16 4 Oct 2023 GMT+1Published 09:40 4 Oct 2023 GMT+1

David Beckham reveals how he convinced Lionel Messi to join Inter Miami after secret hotel visit

Lionel Messi left PSG for Inter Miami during the summer transfer window

Marcus Chan

Marcus Chan

David Beckham has revealed how he managed to convince Lionel Messi to sign for Inter Miami this summer.

On the back of the 22/23 season, it became clear that Messi’s time with Paris Saint Germain was coming to an end.

After weeks of intense speculation, it was confirmed that Messi would ditch European football and sign for MLS side Inter Miami, who are part-owned by Beckham.

Advert

While appearing on the latest episode of Sky Bet’s Stick to Football podcast, Beckham spoke about how he managed to convince Messi to sign for his club. You can watch the footage below.

He said: “When I started this journey, ten years ago, announcing that I was starting a team in Miami, my vision was always to bring the best players. I suppose as an owner of a team, you always want to bring in the best players, but the chance of bringing in the best, is difficult and always challenging.

“But then, I sneaked into Messi’s dad’s hotel about four years ago in Barcelona for a meeting with him and obviously, at that point, we weren’t ready to bring him in and he wasn’t ready to come.

Advert

“I turned around to his dad and said, ‘we want your son, we want him to come to Miami when he’s ready’, and if that’s a possibility. We continued the conversations, and with my partners, Jorge Mas and Jose [Mas], we just worked on it for about four years.”

Beckham continued: “When he was at PSG [Paris Saint-Germain], we saw an opportunity and he was either going to go back to Barcelona [or to Miami], but then suddenly, everything aligned, and we were still having the conversations.

“To bring someone like him to the club, we knew it would change the club and we knew it would change the league and the sport – but it’s beyond that. What he does on the pitch, what he does off the pitch, for the young kids – to bring somebody in like him is the dream, also Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

“To bring in Leo has changed everything. The academy kids have someone to look up to, who has done everything, won everything, and he’s teaching them, which is amazing.”

Advert

Image
Getty

Beckham went on to reveal Messi is already having an impact on the academy.

He said: “There was an interview the other day with one of the academy kids, who is doing well, and they turned round to him and said, ‘what’s the best bit of advice that Leo has given you so far?’

“And he said, ‘to walk more’. He said ‘to walk more because you see more’ so it’s already started with the good that he does. It’s incredible.”

Advert

David Beckham was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.

SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.

Featured Image Credit: Sky Bet Stick to Football/Getty

Topics: David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Inter Miami, Football

Marcus Chan
Marcus Chan

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

2 hours ago
3 hours ago
4 hours ago
  • 2 hours ago

    Cole Palmer linked with move that would break the world transfer record and rock football to its core

    Cole Palmer has been linked with a move away from Chelsea.

    Football
  • 3 hours ago

    PSG could let 11 players leave in brutal clearout after Club World Cup final defeat to Chelsea as top target revealed

    Paris Saint Germain were beaten by Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup final.

    Football
  • 4 hours ago

    Liverpool targets Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike's records compared aged 23 and there's a clear winner

    Isak and Ekitike have both been linked with big-money moves to Liverpool this summer.

    Football
  • 4 hours ago

    Steven Gerrard names shock pick for Premier League's greatest midfielder as GOAT debate finally settled

    Steven Gerrard is one of the best midfielders in Premier League history.

    Football
  • The first trailer for Lionel Messi docuseries 'Messi Meets America' has just dropped, it looks incredible
  • Lionel Messi has 'decided on his next club' after he leaves Inter Miami
  • Lionel Messi reveals painful decision he had to make when moving to Inter Miami
  • Lionel Messi wants Inter Miami to sign another Ballon d'Or winner