The greatest sporting coup ever occurred when Lionel Messi started playing for David Beckham’s Inter Miami football team.
The former England captain pulled off a stunning wheeling deal when he convinced the best player in the world to join a team at the bottom of their American division.
Additionally, Messi, 36, who led Argentina to victory at the 2018 World Cup last summer, reportedly declined a billion-pound offer from Saudi Arabia’s top side.
Business-savvy Becks has successfully used the influence of his famous friends to lure Messi with a level of glitz unmatched in the Middle East.
A-listers watched the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner make his Inter Miami debut on Friday night, including reality TV queen Kim Kardashian, basketball phenom Lebron James, and tennis icon Serena Williams.
Five years ago, Usain Bolt, Jay-Z, J-Lo, Will Smith, and music mogul Jay-Z were present when Beckham made the announcement about the formation of the Florida football team.
After Messi won a cup game at the club’s temporary home stadium in extra time, the 48-year-old appeared to be on the verge of tears.
Given the difficulties he has encountered creating a football team from scratch, that is reasonable.
A promised cutting-edge stadium has failed to be constructed as a result of legal issues, resident complaints, and the finding of soil containing arsenic.
This is a dream, Victoria, David’s 49-year-old wife, has been his pillar of support throughout, uprooting the family to live in Miami for much of the year.
According to a family-friendly source, Messi’s signing has given the club international recognition.
But team support extends beyond the players. All of David and Victoria’s well-known acquaintances have supported it. Saint Kardashian, the son of Kim Kardashian, is a major Messi admirer.
“The same can be said for the Beckhams’ friends, including singer Marc Anthony, American football great Tom Brady, and Lebron James, who is frequently spotted at sporting events.
It is being viewed more as a brand with enormous commercial viability than just a club.
“Victoria said she would support David at every step from the beginning of the venture more than five years ago, and that couldn’t be more true,” they continued.
The family quickly adopted Miami as a second home because they like the laid-back lifestyle there.
The Beckhams purchased a £18.5 million Miami penthouse in a 707-foot structure built by renowned arcҺitect Zaha Hadid two years ago. The property has views of the Atlantic Ocean and a helipad.
The four kids of the marriage are now deeply rooted in the community as well.
A few miles away in Palm Beach, in the mansion of her millionaire father, Brooklyn, 24, wed actress Nicola Peltz, 28, while Romeo, 20, was signed to Inter Miami’s reserve squad.
The majority of Harper, 12, and Cruz, 18, of the family’s summer vacations are spent in Miami, where they enjoy spending time on the $5 million family yacht in the city’s warm waters.
Becks frequently appears out and about with his famous friends, like Tom Brady.
Nightlife entrepreneur David Grutman, dubbed the “King of Miami” for his nightclub and restaurant empire, is another good friend.
When Jennifer Lopez’s ex-husband Marc Anthony married model Nadia Ferreira at Miami’s Pérez Art Museum in January, David served as his best man.
Victoria has been seen out and about with her friend, Desperate Housewives actress Eva Longoria, while Goldenballs made a big splash when he made an appearance at the Miami Grand Prix last year.
The Kardashians have been spotted at Makoto, where the Beckhams have dined, and Will Smith and rapper Drake enjoy Zuma Miami.
David, however, also appreciates more affordable fare, and he frequently visits Enriqueta’s Sandwich Shop, a Cuban restaurant where the most costly items cost £9.
He — has a little coffee — he enjoys Costa Rican coffee and loves the pig or a Cubano sandwich, said Leidys Pla, whose family owns the eatery.
“He’s always very nice and takes pictures with anyone who wants them.”
Her mother Lucia Pla added with a smile: “David Beckham is my friend.”
But even Becks’ A-list pals have been overshadowed by the arrival of Messi, who is being treated like a deity in the majority Latino city.
Everyone wantҽd to be at the game to see the South American maestro, with touts charging as much as £85,000 for tickets.
Murals celebrating the Argentinian striker have sprung up in countless places, while enterprising businesses are offering Messi-themed sandwiches and even a Messi bҽҽr.
Inter fan Maximiliano Infantino, 46, told The Sun: “It’s a dream to have Messi here. Beckham can really make things happen.
“Miami doesn’t know what’s going to Һit it.
“All you see when you look at the bus stations are images of Messi. Everything will alter as a result of it.
Two portraits of Messi, painted by a local graffiti artist and touched up by Beckham, who went by to paint Messi’s teeth, are featured on a mural that spans the full side of a seven-story building.
The 30-year-old T-shirt vendor Axel Montano remarked, “I want to thank David Beckham for delivering Lionel Messi to my city.
Last year, he made £657,000 every week, with the majority of his income coming from the licensing of his brand to Adidas, Maserati automobiles, Electronic Arts computer games, Haig Club whisky, and Tudor watches.
The future might see Inter Miami eclipse those sums.
The team is Beckham’s personal endeavor after he struck a wise deal 16 years ago when he agreed to play football with the LA Galaxy.