“We had 3.5 billion viewers” - David Beckham explains magnitude of Lionel Messi's iconic Inter Miami move

Co-owner David Beckham has revealed that Inter Miami got 3.5 billion views for Lionel Messi's unveiling. He added that it was a historic occasion for the city and the club and it was great to grab eyeballs.

Mesi signed his Inter Miami contract last week and was unveiled to the fans on Sunday, July 16. There was a slight delay due to rain, but around 20,000 fans gathered at the DRV PNK Stadium to welcome the Argentine.

Speaking to ESPN, Beckham said that he was stunned to see the number of views for the Messi unveiling. He was delighted with the attention they were getting and claimed that it was historic for both the city and the MLS club. He said:

"We have the greatest player in history in our city and in our club, that attracted a lot of attention around the world, something we always wanted. We had 3.5 billion viewers during Leo's presentation, it was something very big."

Lionel Messi could make his debut for his new club on July 21 when they take on Cruz Azul in a Leagues Cup match.

Lionel Messi's announcement saw David Beckham get 'a million' messages

David Beckham has been pushing for Lionel Messi to join him at Inter Miami since the inception of the MLS club. He was confident of getting the former Barcelona star to join him in the United States and is now delighted to get the deal done.

Speaking to the media earlier this month, Beckham claimed that he was bombarded with a million messages when Lionel Messi announced his decision to join Inter Miami. He was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying:

"A couple of weeks ago, I woke up to about a million messages on my phone. I was thinking, 'What's gone off? I don't usually get this many messages.' All of a sudden, I hear Leo has come out and announced he's coming to Miami. Obviously, it wasn't a surprise to me. I have always said, from the word go, that if I had the opportunity to bring the best players in the game to Miami, at whatever time of their careers, I would do that. I have always made that commitment to our fans."

He added:

"So when I hear that one of the best players — if not the best player — who has won everything in the game, who is still a great player, still young and still doing what he's doing, wants to play for my team, it's a massive moment for us."

Lionel Messi's MLS debut could happen on August 20 against Charlotte FC, when the league returns from the short break.