2023-11-15 14:01:16
The signing of Lionel Messi by Inter Miami last summer was a “gift for America and for Major League Soccer” (MLS), he stated David Beckham, president and co-owner of the Florida club, in an interview with AFP in Bombay, where he attended a Cricket World Cup match.
To the question of whether England has a chance at Euro 2024, which will be held in Germany next June and July, the Englishman responds that “I have a lot of faith in this England team. I believe in Gareth Southgate (the coach, editor’s note), in what he has been doing for several years. Unfortunately we lost in the Euro final against Italy (in July 2021), but we were very close to victory. When our national team is successful, the entire country comes together in an incredible way. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I think that at Euro 2024 we really have our chances. “With young players like Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham and others. And of course there is our captain Harry Kane, who continues to set an example for the team and score goals.”
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He was also asked about the stellar arrival of Lionel Messi to the Inter Miami and the brutal impact of having a figure of his caliber in the United States: “When someone tells me that Lionel Messi plays for Inter Miami, I still can’t believe it. As an owner, I am very proud to have the best player on the team. We knew that bringing Leo to the “United States, not just for Miami, was a gift for the United States and for the MLS. Because someone like him changes the rules of the game, he is an inspiration for an entire generation of players. That’s why we wanted Leo on the team. Of course, we also want to win titles, be the best team in the championship. But one of the reasons for signing him was to be an inspiration for the next generation of players in the United States. Make you want to become a soccer player (the American term that differentiates it from American football, editor’s note). Messi has this power.”
Finally, Beckham was questioned for his work as a global ambassador for Unicef since 2015 and the role football can play with disadvantaged children.
“I have always said that sport has a very important role to play with children. Football, cricket, basketball and other sports have a great responsibility to help them in their emancipation. In my own career, football allowed me to develop ability to lead, work as a team, discipline myself, stay focused. It gave me confidence. Going to villages around the world with Unicef, “I’ve seen children’s faces light up when they play football. “They forget about their problems when they play.”
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