David Beckham painted a huge mural of Lionel Messi to pay tribute to the Argentine ahead of his blockbuster move to Inter Miami.
Last month, Messi completed a sensational move to Major League Soccer as he chose to play for Beckham’s Florida club over a lucrative deal in Saudi Arabia. As part of his contract, Messi will reportedly receive a compensation package that includes part of Apple TV’s revenue generated by MLS Season Pass as well as a share of Adidas profits from his arrival in MLS.
Messi’s arrival in the United States likely eclipses Brazilian icon Pele’s transfer to the New York Cosmos in 1975 as the biggest in North American soccer history. The 36-year-old reportedly signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Miami franchise - and nobody is more excited than Beckham himself.
On Sunday, Beckham’s wife Victoria took to social media to share footage of the former England captain painting the enormous mural on the side of a building in Miami. Tagging Messi in the post, the former Spice Girl wrote: “Only arrived a few days and he got straight to it! @DavidBeckham is quite the artist!”
In a separate post, she added: “@DavidBeckham feeling quote accomplished AS HE SHOULD.”
Finally, Victoria shrouded her husband in praise on her Instagram story, writing: “So I think that David has done a really good job of painting Messi here in Miami. We've only been here a few days and he has got straight to it.
“And look, it's massive. Is there nothing that David Beckham can't do? He is up there, painting away, I'm impressed.”
Beckham is clearly thrilled by Messi’s decision to join Inter Miami, representing one of the biggest coups in MLS history. Last week, Beckham revealed the pride he felt in completing the move for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“A couple of weeks ago, I woke up to about a million messages on my phone,” the 48-year-old said. “I was thinking, ‘What’s gone off?' I don’t usually get this many messages. All of a sudden, I hear Leo has come out and announced he’s coming to Miami.
“Obviously, it wasn’t a surprise to me. I have always said, from the word go, that if I had the opportunity to bring the best players in the game to Miami, at whatever time of their careers, I would do that. I have always made that commitment to our fans.
“So when I hear that one of the best players - if not the best player - who has won everything in the game, who is still a great player, still young and still doing what he’s doing, wants to play for my team, it’s a massive moment for us.”
Messi will be unveiled alongside fellow new signing Sergio Busquets at Miami’s DRV PNL Stadium on July 16. The pair know each other well from their time together at Barcelona, and both men could make their debut against Mexico’s Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup on July 21.
