Lionel Messi’s Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul has visited him at Inter Miami, and co-owner David Beckham could not get enough of the occasion.
The Atletico Madrid midfielder is often referred to as ‘the bodyguard,’ as a brutal player who is often inseparable from Messi on and off the pitch when on international duty.
The pair won the World Cup together in Qatar, and both were hanging out in Miami alongside Beckham, who shared a photo of the trio on his Instagram account.
Beckham is rarely ever starstruck given his status as one of the most famous sportsmen ever, but he was stood in admiration at the pair, captioning the Instagram photo “Dos campeones del mundo,” meaning “two world champions” in Spanish.
Beckham’s relationship with Messi
Despite the pair being associated with opposite sides of the El Clasico coin, Beckham and Messi was a linkup that was years in the making.
Beckham paved the way for superstars to move to MLS, having joined LA Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2007. Messi’s move to Miami, as per The Athletic, was initially mooted when the pair met in Paris over three years ago.
Both are two of the most famous names in football, and the mutual respect they have for each other certainly helped pave the way for a move. Beckham’s name alone, has helped launch Miami as a MLS franchise from the ground up, and whilst success on the pitch is yet to come, within a few years they have now become one of the biggest clubs in the USA.
Messi and Sergio Busquets joining the club may not have happened without Beckham’s influence, and despite Messi being undeniably better than the Englishman on the pitch, off it, the two forces combining will see Inter Miami’s commercial performance skyrocket.
Whilst a move to Miami looks out of the question for De Paul now, Beckham was clearly happy to see two world champions together at his club.