23 February 2024 , 15:56
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Inter Miami's relentless pursuit of world domination started on the perfect note.
Beaming co-owner David Beckham was pitch-side with Hollywood icon Will Smith to watch his star-studded XI toy with Real Salt Lake in their 2024 MLS Opener courtesy of a magical Lionel Messi masterclass.
The majestic Argentine genius played like a man possessed. So much so, personal bodyguard Yassine Chueko was left short of breath as he tracked and chased Messi's movements from the near touchline.
Debutant Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba also sparkled on a night when Inter Miami finally began to realise their true potential as a glamorous global force.
According to assistant boss Javier Morales, that was always the primary motive behind Beckham's £20million 2014 investment in the franchise which is now valued at more than $1billion.
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Morales, who previously worked as a coach within Inter Miami's academy, said: "I've known David for so long because we used to play games against each other in this league. It wasn't fun but after that, we had a good relationship! I was only the fifth employee of Inter Miami so I've known about the foundations right from the bottom.
"When I first spoke to David, he said he thinks this could also be a big, big club having started at Manchester United. That was his idea. He wants Inter Miami to be a top team - not only in this country but also the world.
"These are huge expectations but we've toured Hong Kong, Tokyo and Saudi Arabia and had so many fans. We know that's because of Messi but it's important we share this vision."
Inter Miami assistant boss Javier Morales spoke to Mirror Football ahead of the 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake (Getty Images)Messi has inadvertently stripped Morales of his coaching responsibilities because he does not feel qualified to advise the 'greatest player of all time' on how to play football. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the record eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and Inter Miami now appear in all 25 of the best-selling games on StubHub for the upcoming MLS season.
Chief Business Officer Xavier Asensi, who spent a decade working for Barcelona, makes no secret of the fact the club will strive to maximise revenue throughout Messi's contract which is worth an estimated £16million per year including guaranteed compensation.
Asensi said: "From the very beginning we said we needed the best. At that time Messi was at Barcelona and had never played anywhere else. Then when he went to Paris we thought we had a real chance.
Lionel Messi shone as Inter Miami beat Real Salt Lake 2-0 (Getty Images)"It has been a few months, in order not to say years, that has been the thing we've been working tirelessly for and that happened last summer.
"Now everything we do goes around Messi, the hype he creates and not just in Miami but the States and in general. We toured the world, that is mind-blowing for an MLS team to be doing that kind of tour. We changed overnight."
Incredibly, Asensi claims Inter Miami's four-legged tour which spanned over 23,000 miles, helped generate greater revenue than recent pre-season figures attributed to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United.