David Beckham is being tipped to bring Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo together at Inter Miami, helping to “make MLS bigger than ever”.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Manchester United and England legend Beckham, who is now a co-owner at Chase Stadium, completed one of the biggest transfer coups in world football when luring eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi to the United States in 2023.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The mercurial Argentine has been a stunning success on and off the field, claiming Leagues Cup, Supporters’ Shield and MVP honours while helping to raise the global profile of American soccer. Injury problems are becoming more frequent at 37 years of age, but there is no sign of Messi calling it quits any time soon.
DID YOU KNOW?
That is leaving the door open for a potential reunion with eternal rival Ronaldo, who is still going strong at the age of 40 with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr. If the Portuguese superstar were to leave the Middle East, as his contract runs down, then could he be tempted to join Messi in South Florida?
WHAT ANDERS LIMPAR SAID
That question has been put to former Arsenal and MLS star Anders Limpar, with the Swede telling SveaCasino.se: “It’s not the biggest league in the world, but it’s the biggest show. I played there in 1999 and like to think of myself as a bit of a pioneer. During my time, they had to tell the fans the rules over the speakers and we took penalties from the half-way line.
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been there, Lionel Messi is there now and can you imagine if Cristiano Ronaldo joined him? Why not?
“It would be the icing on the cake and imagine they played together, it would be simply unbelievable. I think there is only one person who can make that happen and that is David Beckham. If you ask me, Ronaldo should leave Saudi Arabia and make MLS bigger than ever.”
WHAT NEXT FOR LIONEL MESSI & CRISTIANO RONALDO?
American franchises, along with European counterparts, are finding it difficult to compete with the riches on offer in Saudi Arabia. Pairing Messi with Ronaldo would, however, help to get even more eyes on the most ambitious of sporting projects.