David Beckham is a huge part of MLS’ history, one of many great soccer players to come to the United States and lift the profile of the league. Still, Beckham’s arrival to many today was about taking MLS to the next level, bringing about the age of the designated player, of expansion, of soccer stadiums, of leading the way for MLS 4.0 as many fans call it.
The reality or the untold story is that when the LA Galaxy signed David Beckham in 2007, it was a last ditch effort to keep the league alive. MLS had been on the brink of folding at least twice before, once in 1999 and later in the eve of the 2002 World Cup. It was the USMNT’s quarterfinal run that kept the league alive, and in 2006 MLS was in a stagnant place, again facing the ultimatum, grow or close.
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Lionel Messi’s arrival finds MLS at a very different place, from a rising salary cap, young stars be them foreign or American being sold to clubs for huge fees and growing average attendance. Truly Messi is in a thriving MLS, Beckham spoke to The Athletic and described the feeling of hearing Messi was coming to Inter Miami.
David Beckham on Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami
“I never thought I would have the same feeling as an owner as I had when I was a player,” Beckham stated to The Athletic. “When I got the phone call, I had the feeling I had when I walked out at Old Trafford or Wembley. I was like, ‘We’ve just beaten all competition to sign the greatest player to ever play our game’.”
“I was in Japan with the family and woke up at 5am because my phone kept vibrating. My wife was like, ‘Really?! Turn your phone off!’. I look on my phone and I’m like, ‘What’s happened? Something’s happened!’.
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“I put my glasses on and I’m like, ‘Leo’s coming! It’s done! He has announced it!’. My wife was like, ‘What do you mean he has announced it?’. I said, ‘He has gone on TV and said he’s coming to Inter Miami!’. I get goosebumps talking about it.”
