NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:David Beckham shares what Lionel Messi wanted the most from his move to MLS

It’s more than a year into the Lionel Messi experience in Major League Soccer,NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center and Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham is still in awe of the club’s acquisition of the Argentine World Cup champion.

Beckham – who joined the MLS in 2007 after a storied career in Europe – said there was one thing in particular Messi was looking for when he decided to join Inter Miami in July 2023.

"All he was interested in is a place where his family could come enjoy and have a great life. That was really important for Leo,” Beckham said, speaking at Stella Artois' "Let's Do Dinner" event in New York on Thursday. “I mean, from day one, from the moment he put his foot down in Miami, it's been a dream, honestly.

“To be able to say that we've signed the world's greatest ever player to ever play the game. Everybody's got their opinion on who they think is the best player of all time – whether it be Diego Maradona, Pele, all of these great players."

“But to say that we have in the MLS, in Miami, the greatest player to play the game, it's just like a dream, you know? It's a dream every time that I'm there," Beckham continued. "If I go for the whole of the summer, which I went for four weeks this summer, I go into training every single day because, personally, I can't believe we've got Leo. Secondly, I just want to watch what he does. And that's a special thing for us.”

Beckham will attend Saturday’s match as Messi and Inter Miami face New York City FC at Yankee Stadium. It will be Messi's third game after returning from a right ankle injury he sustained during the Copa America final, which Argentina won July 11.

Messi's addition to MLS has been a resounding success for him, Inter Miami and the league. Messi owns the No. 1 MLS jersey sold for the second consecutive year and Inter Miami sits atop the MLS standings as favorites to win the Supporters’ Shield for the league’s best record in 2024.