“Do you know what, they’re always on at me” - David Beckham opens up on request he always receives from Lionel Messi at Inter Miami

Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham has revealed how Lionel Messi and his other teammates often request him to join them in training. Beckham hung up his boots back in 2013 after an illustrious career in football spanning over 20 years.

David Beckham is widely considered among the best footballers of all time. The England international is best remembered as a Manchester United legend, where he played between 1992 and 2003. He was also a part of Real Madrid's iconic Galactico era between 2003 and 2007.

Beckham's multiple accolades include six Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League with the Red Devils, a LaLiga with Real Madrid, and two MLS Cups with Los Angeles Galaxy. A year after his retirement in 2014, the former England international became the co-owner of MLS Inter Miami.

In an interview with Men's Soccer, David Beckham hilariously recalled how Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and others often request him to join them in training. He said (via GOAL):

"Do you know what, they’re always on at me, Leo, Luis, Jordi [Alba], Sergio. They will turn around and say, ‘Come on, come on, join in!’ The funny thing was, the other day I was kicking a ball around for Adidas, doing some filming for my new Predator boots. I was doing some free kicks, pinging some long passes and I got overly excited."

Beckham continued:

"I got to the fifth, six and seventh – on the eighth one, I pinged it, and I was like, ‘Oh sh*t, my quad!’ The guy filming asked if I could do a couple more. I was like, ‘No, I think we got it!’"

Lionel Messi signed for David Beckham's co-owned side Inter Miami as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the summer of 2023. Since his arrival, the Argentine superstar led the Herons to their first titles in history - the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 Supporters' Shield.

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When David Beckham claimed Lionel Messi wants to return to Barcelona after retirement

L to R: Messi and Beckham - Source: Getty

In an interview at the Davos Economic Forum earlier this year, David Beckham claimed that Lionel Messi would like to return to live in Barcelona after his retirement. The retired legend also vouched for the Argentine's love for his boyhood side and said (via MARCA):

"I would like Leo to live in Miami when he retires, but Leo has told me that he only thinks about living near the Camp Nou. There is no player who loves Barcelona as much as he does. You can see the Barca badge on his leg and even on his water bottle."

In the summer of 2023, Lionel Messi was linked to a fairy tale return to his boyhood side after his sudden departure in 2021. However, given Barcelona's financial situation, the deal did not go through, with the Argentine signing for Inter Miami instead.

However, Messi has always been vocal about his love for the Catalan side. Irrespective of whether Messi returns to Barcelona, he will often be considered among the greatest Blaugrana legends of all time.