David Beckham reveals fears Inter Miami's Lionel Messi transfer would be HIJACKED as he names club that 'worried' him | The Sun
DAVID BECKHAM has revealed the one club that had him "worried" when competing for the signature of Lionel Messi.
Messi made his spectacular move to Inter Miami this summer after two seasons in Ligue 1 with Paris Saint Germain.
And since joining Beckham's MLS outfit he has excelled scoring scoring 11 goals and registering five assists in just 14 appearances.
But it might not have been the fairy tale move that Becks had dreamed of had Barcelona got their way in the summer window.
Speaking to The Times, the former Manchester United and England legend revealed he was worried that Barca would snatch Messi away from him.
He said:"We always knew there would be competition. The time I got a bit worried was when Barcelona showed interest.
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"The club obviously pulls on his heartstrings and he never really got to say the goodbye he deserved there.
"That was the only time I started to worry he might go somewhere else. But we did everything possible — me, Jorge and Jose [Mas]."
Messi rose through the ranks at the famous La Masia academy and spent 16 years in the Barcelona first team.
He featured 778 times for the Catalan giants while amassing an astonishing 975 goal contributions.
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And Barcelona were seemingly keen to reunite with the Argentine in the summer before he decided to head to the US to join Inter Miami.
However after winning ten La Liga titles and four Champions League's with the club, Messi decided to opt for a new challenge across the pond.
And Beckham couldn't have been happier to make the groundbreaking signing for his Florida side.
He said: "Getting that phone call that he’s decided to come to us… It still gives me goose bumps.
"I promised the fans and people of Miami that I wanted to bring some of the best players in the world. I am sure every owner says that but, from day one, he was the dream player I wanted to bring to Miami.
"I see him in our kit, I watch him train and play, and I can’t believe that we have Lionel Messi in our club."
The eight time Ballon d'Or winner has already made a huge impact on Inter Miami after he helped them win their first ever piece of silverware, the Leagues Cup.
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