The ball sticks closely to Lionel Messi's foot. The Argentine superstar charges towards the opposing penalty area, keeps his composure, and passes it sideways. The ball is quickly passed back into the middle, and Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez cleanly strikes it into the corner. What reads like a combination from the heyday of FC Barcelona's dominance in European club football is playing out in early March in Florida. It's the fourth minute in the derby between Orlando City and hosts Inter Miami, who win the game 5-0, and celebrate their new world class attacking duo.

That Suárez and Messi are ending their careers in Biscayne Bay, and not like many other ageing stars in the Middle East, is thanks to David Beckham. The former free-kick maestro of Manchester United and Real Madrid, together with the brothers Jorge and José Mas, who head up infrastructure and construction firm Mastec, are Inter Miami owners. The three bought out the previous owners, Bolivian-American businessman Marcelo Claure and Softbank founder Masayoshi Son, in 2021. They then added alternative investment giant Ares as an investor. Since then, Beckham and company have made it their mission to get soccer-skeptical America into football.

While Major League Soccer (MLS), established in 1996, attracted established European stars like Beckham himself in previous seasons, Messi's transfer raised interest in football in the US to a new level in the summer of 2023.

Beckham and the Mas brothers understand when working on a deal that they cannot compete with the petrodollars from Saudi Arabia that have already persuaded Messi's eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo to move to the Middle East. However, with MLS kit supplier Adidas and streaming partner Apple, they too have financially strong entities on their side. So Messi not only receives a fixed salary and a future ownership stake in Inter Miami, but also gets a share of the proceeds from new season subscriptions on Apple TV, and the profit increases that Adidas generates via the MLS following his signing.

Beckham, always a favorite subject of the tabloids with his wife Victoria, knows how to cleverly use the spotlight once again through the Messi deal. He sold a documentary series about his career and family life to Netflix, which became a global streaming hit. His production company Studio 99, which also released a biography about snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan for Amazon, thus delivers significant revenue contributions to the holding company DRJB. DRJB more than doubled its revenue to 72.6 million pounds in 2022 and is expected to have further increased since then, according to analysts.

Once criticized during his career as a prototype of the simple-minded footballer, „Becks“ has evolved into a savvy businessman. The London-born son of a hairdresser and a kitchen fitter – his parents frequently traveled 320 kilometers as Manchester United fans to see the „Red Devils“ play live – sold a majority stake in his brand DB Ventures to US brand manager Authentic in 2022.

For 55% of the company, which manages the majority of his sponsorship agreements, Beckham pocketed 269 million dollars. He also secured an Authentic stock package. The remaining portfolio of the New York-based company, which includes designer fashion retailer Ted Baker and boot brand Hunter, is likely to have appealed to Beckham, who is known for his fashion flair – even if Hunter boots are hardly suitable for a stadium visit in the Florida heat.