Beckham says Messi at Inter Miami is 'our gift to America'

MIAMI - David Beckham told AFP in an interview that his Inter Miami franchise signed Lionel Messi as "our gift to America and the MLS".

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder Beckham, speaking on his first ever visit to India and in his role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, admitted he still has to pinch himself when he sees the Argentinian World Cup winner on the teamsheet in Florida.

"It's still hard to believe that when someone turns around to me and says Inter Miami have Lionel Messi in their team, you know," he said.

"It's a very proud thing for me to have as an owner, to have a player like that, the best player in the world, in our team.

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"We always knew that bringing Leo to America, not just to Miami, it was our gift to America and the MLS.

"Because someone like that changes the game. You know, someone like that inspires another generation of soccer players. 

"And that's why we wanted to bring Leo to the team. Of course, we want to win championships. Of course, we want to be the best team in the league. 

"But one of the reasons why we bought him was to also inspire the next generation of soccer players in America.

"To want to be soccer players. So bringing him does that and it's an important thing for us."

Former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star Messi shocked the football world when he shunned stratospheric offers from Saudi Arabia and elsewhere to join Inter Miami in July, seven months after he had led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar.

The 36-year-old went on to light up Major League Soccer with some stellar performances but was unable to carry Inter Miami into the playoffs this season.