For superstar footballer and all-round nice guy David Beckham, it’s a good problem to have. He admits that he is being inundated with prospective players keen to hook up with Becks and his business consortium as they take the next step in the preparations for Inter Miami to join the MLS. Already, the club is being linked with moves for players of the calibre of Luis Suarez, Paul Pogba and Theo Walcott.
All things being equal and with a following headwind, the ex-England and Manchester United star will see his dream unfold into reality when the first ball is kicked in anger for Inter Miami next year. It doesn’t seem so long ago that that the new team was first discussed — and yet here we are five years down the line.
Being a huge character in the game and an iconic cultural figure helps as far as Beckham is concerned. Indeed, such is the respect in which he is held that Beckham has to field calls every day from aces keen to get in on the exciting new team. He admitted:
“I’ve been doing a lot of vetting. We all know how great Miami is as a place to live with your family, but we don’t want players just coming here at the end of their career thinking, ‘Oh, let’s go have a couple of years in Miami and I’ll play a little bit of soccer.’ That’s not what we want.”
No, there is a work ethic and authentic need to play with desire, says Beckham:
“We want players who are hungry, who have played at the top level but still want to win. I’m lucky I’ve played in many different teams, many different countries with many different players and they’re actually calling me daily. It’s a good problem to have.”
As well as fixtures, the club needs fittings and co-owner Jorge Mas is charged with finding the club a home. Inter will initially play at Lockhart Stadium but they will strut their stuff there only on a temporary basis, with plans afoot to switch to Miami Freedom Park in 2022. And Mas said:
“We’ve knocked out every obstacle we’ve had. We’ve had a handful of lawsuits, knocked those out. Our next hurdle is getting a lease in front of the City Commission and I hopefully will have that in the next 45 days and am very optimistic we’ll get a 5-0 vote.”
So, what about the potential players? Well, Inter Miami sporting director Paul McDonough revealed:
“It’s an ongoing process, we’re talking with guys. We’ve had some meetings. Trying to figure out if we’re right for them and if they’re right for us. It’s all progressing well.”
And as for a manager?
“We’re going to try to start building the team in the club’s vision, then we’ll try and pick a coach that fits the vision. David and I have talked about what we want the club to be like, how we want to play. Hopefully we’ll find players and a coach that match our philosophy.”
Go, Inter!
