The signing of Lionel Messi of Inter Miami last summer was a “gift for America and for Major League Soccer” (MLS), he said David Beckham president and co-owner of the Florida club, in an interview with AFP in Bombay, where he was attending a Cricket World Cup match.
When asked if England have a chance at Euro 2024, which will be held in Germany next June and July, the Englishman replied “I have a lot of faith in this England team. I believe in Gareth Southgate (the coach, editor’s note), for several years he has been doing it. Unfortunately, we lost the Euro final against Italy (in July 2021), but we are close to victory. When our national team is successful, the whole country comes together in an incredible way. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I think that at Euro 2024, we really have a chance. “With young players like Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham and others. And of course there is our captain Harry Kane, who continues to set an example for the team and score goals.”
He was also asked about Lionel Messi’s stellar arrival in Inter Miami and the brutal impact of having a figure of his caliber in the United States: “When someone told me that Lionel Messi was playing for Inter Miami, I still couldn’t believe it. As an owner, I’m proud to have the best player on the team. We know that bringing Leo to the “United States, not just for Miami, is a gift for the United States and for MLS. Because someone like him changes the rules of the game, he is an inspiration for a whole generation of players. That’s why we want Leo on the team. Of course, we also want to win titles, be the best team in the championship. But one of the reasons for signing him was to be an inspiration for the next generation of players in the United States. You want to be a soccer player (the American term that differentiates it from American football, editor’s note). Messi has this power.”
Finally, Beckham was asked for his work as a global ambassador for Unicef onwards in 2015) the role that football can play in underprivileged children.
“I always say that sport has a very important role in children. Football, cricket, basketball and other sports have a great responsibility to help them in their liberation. In my own career, football has allowed me to have the ability lead, work as a team, discipline myself, stay focused. It gave me confidence. Going to villages around the world with Unicef, “I saw the children’s faces light up when they played football. “They forget their problems when they play.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
