David Beckham was in the stands on Sunday night as Lionel Messi scored another outrageous free-kick for MLS side Inter Miami – and his reaction was caught on camera by a fan.
It was another night to remember for Inter Miami and seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi, who once again defied belief with a game-winning performance against FC Dallas in the Leagues Cup.
So far, the 36-year-old forward has scored a 94th minute free-kick against Cruz Azul on his debut, two goals against Atlanta United and two goals in a 3-1 victory over Orlando City.
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And on Sunday evening, the World Cup winner added to his already-impressive tally with another brace against FC Dallas.
Messi opened the scoring for Inter Miami in the sixth minute, when he latched onto a Jordi Alba pass with a trademark left-footed strike into the bottom corner. How many times have we seen him do this?
Then, after some crazy back and forth on the scoreboard, Messi equalised to make it 4-4 with another world class free-kick to send the game to penalties.
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From the tightest of angles, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward managed to get the ball over the wall before nestling it into the top right-hand corner of the net.
Maarten Paes in the Dallas goal tried his best to get a fingertip on the strike, but not many goalkeepers in world football could have stopped this one.
And moments later, as Messi and his teammates ran towards the centre circle, Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham could be seen celebrating with his family in the stands.
Even he looked shocked by the unfolding events. Check out his reaction below.
Beckham, who was in tears after watching Messi's goal-winning free-kick against Cruz Azul last month, recently opened up on how he managed to sign one of the greatest players of all time.
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Speaking to The Athletic, he explained: “I never thought I would have the same feeling as an owner as I had when I was a player.
“When I got the phone call, I had the feeling I had when I walked out at Old Trafford or Wembley. I was like, ‘We’ve just beaten all competition to sign the greatest player to ever play our game’.”
Beckham disclosed how he managed to secure Messi after the World Cup winner announced he was leaving Paris Saint-Germain.
“It all came from a conversation over a glass of wine at dinner,” Beckham said.
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“I turn to Jorge [Lionel Messi's father] and say, ‘One day, we need Messi to come to our club’. It was probably when we first met... That was 10 years ago. So it was always in my mind."
Fast forward to September 2019 and Beckham engaged in a secret meeting with the pair in Barcelona.
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“We got on a plane and flew to Barcelona from London secretly,” explained Beckham.
"We snuck into a hotel, met Jorge Messi (Lionel’s father and also his agent) and started the conversation. It purely went, ‘We would love your son to play for our team one day. We know he can’t come yet, but one day we would love to have Leo in Miami’.
“Then obviously Jorge (Mas) did an incredible job creating a narrative around what he could do for the sport in this country, what he could do for MLS and what he could do for Inter Miami.”
Inter Miami would go on to win their Leagues Cup clash against FC Dallas 5-3 on penalties, with Lionel Messi slotting away his spot-kick with ease.
Topics: Inter Miami, Lionel Messi, MLS, David Beckham, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain
Jack Kenmare