David Beckham might have been born and raised in the United Kingdom, but he had the future of United States soccer in mind when he recruited eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi to Inter Miami CF in 2023.
Beckham, who famously left Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2007 to join the LA Galaxy in a shock move, told “Hot Ones” host Sean Evans that Messi’s decision to join Major League Soccer will result in the U.S. becoming a true soccer country and, one day, winning the FIFA World Cup.
“It’s a gift in the sense of, I want to inspire the next generation of young kids that are playing in this country, because at some point, the U.S. will win the World Cup — at some point,” Beckham said. “You need moments like this where you bring someone of Leo’s magnitude.
“He’s good on the field and he’s good off the field. He’s the perfect professional and, so if you bring someone like that, all of these young kids that are watching throughout America go and watch him in stadiums in their city get inspired. That’s really what we wanted to do.”
Before sustaining an ankle injury in the CONMEBOL Copa América final, Messi and Inter Miami were breaking attendance records across MLS, most notably selling out Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots, in April.
Messi returned to group training with Inter Miami on Wednesday and is expected to join his team for the stretch run of the MLS season. Inter Miami is currently the favorite to win the Supporters’ Shield with an MLS-best record of 17W-5D-4L.
Messi’s contract with Inter Miami expires in December 2025, six months before the United States will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Canada and Mexico.
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