David Beckham shares emotional Instagram post ahead of Lionel Messi unveiling

David Beckham sent a message on social media after it was confirmed Lionel Messi had signed for Inter Miami. The Argentina legend has joined the Major League Soccer franchise as a free agent.

Messi had been under contract with Paris Saint-Germain until the end of last season. But his contract expired on June 30, meaning he was then able to sign for a new team on a free transfer.

Inter Miami swooped to sign the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, where he will also work with former Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino, after putting pen to paper on a contract that runs until the end of the 2025 season. Midfielder Sergio Busquets, a former Barca teammate of Messi’s, has also signed for the MLS club.

Beckham, a co-owner of Inter Miami, sent a brief but emotional message on Instagram following the signing of Messi. The post includes a photo of himself alongside Messi, who is wearing a Miami home jersey.

The post from Beckham read: “The Dream Becomes The Reality,” followed by a goat (greatest of all time) emoji. He also shared an earlier post detailing his delight at signing Messi.

Beckham wrote: “The next chapter of our story starts here. Ten years ago when I started this journey, I dreamt of bringing the greatest players in the world to Miami… Players who shared the ambition I had when I joined LA Galaxy to help grow football in this country and build a legacy in this sport that we love so much.

“Today that dream came true. I couldn’t be prouder that a player of Leo’s calibre is joining our club but I’m also delighted to welcome a friend, an amazing person and his beautiful family to join our @InterMiamiCF community.”

After signing for Miami, Messi expressed his delight over completing his move to the United States. After spending his entire professional career in Europe with Barcelona and PSG previously, the 36-year-old is looking forward to the new venture he and his family will be embarking on.

“I’m very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States,” said Messi. “This is a fantastic opportunity and together we will continue to build this beautiful project.

“The idea is to work together to achieve the objectives we set, and I’m very eager to start helping here in my new home.”

Miami had already been hard at work in preparing for Messi’s arrival, ever since the forward confirmed he would be moving to the MLS club on June 8. The club has been installing new bleachers in the corners of the DRV PNK Stadium in preparation for the huge crowds expected.

Approximately 3,000 additional seats are said to have been added to take the overall capacity of the stadium up to 21,000. Messi is expected to make his first appearance for Miami against Mexican club Cruz Azul on July 21 in the Leagues Cup. He will then be looking to help Miami have a much-improved second half of the season, with the team currently bottom of the Eastern Conference with just 18 points from 22 games.