Victoria Beckham is the “mastermind” behind David Beckham’s success off the pitch, says Karren Brady, who credits the Inter Miami co-owner with “the start of an American football push” with the signing of Lionel Messi.
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Karren Brady believes Victoria Beckham is the ‘mastermind’ behind her husband David Beckham’s success off the pitch, with the former England captain thriving as part-owner of Inter Miami.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star played a major role in bringing Lionel Messi to Miami, a move that has worked out wonderfully so far as the club lift the League Cup crown.
However, West Ham vice-chairman Brady believes Beckham has received a major boost from Victoria in his post-playing career.
“Beckham missed a few opportunities on the pitch but almost none in business,” she wrote in her column for The sun.
“I have long suspected that his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria, played a major role in his success off the pitch.
“He has a smile, she has intelligence.”
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham are seen during the League Cup game between Inter Miami and Orlando
Lionel Messi has lit up the United States since joining Inter Miami, scoring 11 goals in 10 appearances so far.
Karren Brady credited Victoria Beckham with her husband’s success off the pitch
Earlier this summer, Beckham opened up about how he and owner manager Jorge Mas ‘sneaked’ into a Barcelona hotel in 2019 to meet Messi’s father, Jorge.
“We snuck into a hotel, met Jorge Messi and struck up a conversation,” Beckham said Athleticism. “It was purely, ‘We would like your son to play for our team one day.’ We know he can’t come yet, but one day we would like to have Leo in Miami.
In fact, Beckham revealed in the same post that Messi’s arrival has been in the works for a decade.
“It all came from a conversation over a glass of wine at dinner,” he said.
“I turn to Jorge (Mas) and say to him: ‘One day we need Messi to come to our club’. It was probably when we first met.
“In fact, I found on my phone the other day one of the first presentations that (advertising agency) Doubleday & Cartwright did: they simulated one of the jerseys with the logo and Leo was wearing it. That was 10 years ago, so it was always on my mind.
“I guess every sports franchise owner thinks, ‘We want to bring the best players to our club.’ Does this happen to everyone? Of course not. But we were sitting at dinner and we were like, ‘OK, if we could bring Leo for our market, for our fans, for this part of the world, there’s no one better.
Messi was unveiled alongside Beckham, Jorge Mas (left) and Jose R. Mas in July
The results so far have been superb, with a previously struggling Miami side unbeaten in 10 games since Messi’s debut. The number 10 already has 11 goals for the club.
Unsurprisingly, the appetite to watch the World Cup winner has been huge, with ticket prices for this weekend’s clash at LAFC starting at $727.
Ultimately, the early returns from the Messi era have been hugely promising, and Brady believes Beckham can spearhead even greater growth for football in the United States.
“I’m sure this is the start of a rise in American football, but there’s a lot of work to be done,” she said. “If anyone can do it, I’m sure David Beck-ham can.”
