Former England captain David Beckham has told a packed press conference that launching a new football team in Miami is a “dream come true.”
The 42-year-old former Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy legend has just announced his new career as a Major League Soccer team owner after he was given permission by Miami.
“I’m excited to bring this great team to this great city – it has been a hell of a journey,” said Beckham. “I promise you the team we will bring into the league will be the best team.”
The England legend took out an option with his former team LA Galaxy to buy an expansion franchise in 2014, and four years after arriving in Miami pledging to bring the city a new team, the new club has been announced.
A name has yet to be confirmed for the team that will reside in a 25,000-seat stadium in Miami’s Overtown district.
“I had calls from top players, I’m not going to say who, saying ‘I’m in’. Of course we want to bring the top players in from Europe, but the thing we’re most interested in is top homegrown talent.
“We’ll build a state of the art academy. That’s how you build a community. When you see talented young players go on and represent their country, that’s when we’ll sit back and say ‘job done.’ That’s when we’re going to be proud of it,” promised David Beckham.
Beckham will be the first MLS football player to own a team.
“I joined the Galaxy because I realised the long-term potential in this league,” he added.
“I moved from Real Madrid to a league that wasn’t fully established yet – that was a big move and one I knew was going to be a big challenge but an exciting challenge.”
Miami has been without a football team since Miami Fusion folded in 2001.
David Beckham consistently ranked among the highest earning players in football. He was England captain for six years with a total of 58 caps and 115 appearances for his country.
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