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Lionel Messi has lifted the lid on his relationship with David Beckham, hailing him as a ‘spectacular person’ and revealing what surprised him most about the legend.
Messi was persuaded to join Inter Miami, Beckham’s MLS franchise, in 2023 after leaving Barcelona and penned a contract running until the end of this season.
Beckham, Miami’s club president and co-owner, has often been spotted watching training sessions and attending games at Chase Stadium – and Messi has saluted the positive impression the Manchester United and England legend made on him.
‘The truth is impressive, he is a spectacular person,’ he told Simplemente Futbol.
‘Although he doesn’t come around here often, when he’s in town he does drop by for a few days. But we’ve also kept in touch outside the club.
‘We’ve shared moments when he’s in Miami as well.
Lionel Messi has lifted the lid on his relationship with Inter Miami president David Beckham
Messi saluted the positive impression Beckham made after he joined the club in 2023
The superstar is even expected to sign a contract extension with his current terms up this year
‘He is a very simple person, very humble, someone who comes across as very approachable, and the truth is that he is a great person.
‘It is strange to see him on the other side (not as a player anymore), beyond what he is today and what he represents for the club.
‘He still feels like a player because he comes here and goes out to the field, he wants to be close to the ball, in the training sessions and to be close to us.
‘He tries that when he is here and the most important thing is the simplicity and the closeness he has. I did not know him and I did not expect anything.
‘I was surprised by his way of being.’
Messi and his wife Antonela Roccuzzo recently attended Beckham’s 50th birthday party, accompanied by team-mates Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
Clearly fond of the superstar, Beckham admitted in January that he hoped Messi would move permanently to Miami once he hangs up his boots. However, he is likely to be disappointed, such is the 37-year-old’s love for his former club Barcelona.
‘I would like Messi to live in Miami when he retires, but Leo told me that he only thinks about living near the Camp Nou,’ he said at the Economic Forum in Davos, via Goal.
Beckham (right) was present during Messi’s unveiling at Chase Stadium in July 2023
Messi was recently in attendance at Beckham’s glitzy 50th birthday bash (Pictured L-R: Lionel Messi, Antonela Roccuzzo, Victoria Beckham, David Beckham, Luis Suarez, Sofia Balbi)
‘There is no player who loves Barcelona as much as he does. You can see the Barcelona crest on his leg and even on his water bottle.’
Miami managing director Jorge Mas recently revealed that Messi is closing in on a contract extension – but did not go into specifics on the length.
‘My expectation is that we will see the team’s captain and No 10, Lionel Messi, in the new stadium,’ Mas told Futbol de Primera. ‘It’s a decision.
‘We are talking with him about his future at the club. All the stars are aligning for really great things, a beautiful future for the club and for Lionel.
‘It’s up to him, but I anticipate we will determine this in the next 60 or 90 days because it’s important to start planning ahead.’
Beckham has been involved with the running of Inter Miami since taking up his £20million option to purchase an ‘expansion team’ franchise in 2014.
