Inside Inter Miami's controversial rise to MLS glory under David Beckham's leadership

Inter Miami has certainly made strides since its inception four years ago, but not without a fair share of controversy.

The franchise was established in 2018 when Major League Soccer gave the green light for the David Beckham-backed team to join the league. Their first match took place in March 2020 and they grabbed headlines in 2021 when Beckham appointed his former Manchester United and England colleague Phil Neville as manager and brought Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain on board as their first big-name player.

Despite having world-class players like Higuain, World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi and former Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs, the team’s progress on the pitch was initially slow and results were less than stellar. However, everything turned around in June 2023 when, just four days after parting ways with Neville, Miami announced the sensational signing of Lionel Messi.

After recruiting Messi’s ex-Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez, along with former Barca manager Tata Martino, things started to fall into place. They clinched the 2023 Leagues Cup and followed it up by setting a new MLS record for the highest regular-season points total, bagging the Supporters’ Shield in the process.

However, Inter Miami’s rise to become the top team in MLS has ruffled quite a few feathers, with rival franchises peeved at what they perceive as favouritism.

Beckham was faced with the difficult task of sacking his former teammate and close friend as Inter Miami’s manager, a decision he knew would eventually come. Neville, ex-England women’s boss, led Miami from January 2021 to June 2023, but only managed to secure victories in 35 out of his 90 matches.

His team’s position at the bottom of the Eastern Conference signalled the end was near.

“I knew the end was coming well before the time, it was pretty obvious to everyone in and around the football club,” Neville recently admitted. “We had to have some difficult conversations along the way but they were always pretty honest and frank.”

Neville’s tenure was marked by criticism from Miami’s supporters, clashes with reporters during press conferences, and even saw his own son booed after being brought on as a substitute. Reflecting on the day of his dismissal, Neville said: “The day I actually got fired was probably actually harder for David than it was for me. He really didn’t want to do it, he was really emotional. I was emotional too but I knew it was coming so it was probably easier for me.”

When Beckham hired Neville, he described him as “trust-worthy, loyal and hardworking”, but ultimately, he had no choice but to let him go. Sixteen months later, this decision has proven beneficial.

Just days after parting ways with Neville, Beckham was celebrating the signing of a global superstar. Working alongside co-owner Jorge Mas, Beckham managed to secure Messi, who came with a hefty price tag from Paris Saint-Germain.

The Argentine football legend reportedly earned $20.4m (£15.7m) in his first full season with Inter Miami, but Forbes estimates that he raked in an additional $70m (£53m) from endorsements over the past year. Busquets receives a salary of $8.8m per annum, while Suarez and Alba each earn $1.5m, resulting in Miami’s wage bill of $41.7m being more than double that of most MLS franchises.

For both Inter Miami and the MLS at large, Messi is undeniably a valuable asset. Despite being 37 and nearing the end of his career, he remains extraordinarily talented, having scored 33 goals and provided 17 assists in just 36 appearances.

Perhaps even more crucially, he has helped to put Inter Miami on the global map.

However, there was a backlash involving Messi earlier this year. Having one of the greatest players of all time in their team allowed Inter Miami to expand their fanbase in the Far East.

But things turned sour when Messi did not participate in a friendly match in Hong Kong in February, causing an international uproar.

Chinese state media, politicians in Hong Kong, and fans alike expressed their anger towards both Inter Miami and Messi, who then played in Japan just days after being declared unfit. In response to the outrage from fans who had travelled for 12 hours just to watch him play, Messi was compelled to release a video on Weibo to calm the situation.

Outrage erupted after fans shelled out HK$4,880 (£494) for a glimpse of Messi, only to jeer Beckham as he took to the pitch. Owing to the backlash, organisers had to offer up to 50 per cent refunds.

This has dented Messi’s standing in Asia where his commercial tie-ups are extensivehe backs Chinese entities like Huawei and Mengniu Dairy, significantly soiling his reputation there.

Over at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FIFA head honcho Gianni Infantino left no one in doubt about his affections for Inter Miami: “Miami loves football, the world loves football and the world loves Miami. So I have three things to tell you,” he declared to an enthralled crowd gripping their seats.

Infantino had three bombshells for the audience: “The first: many congratulations for winning the Supporters’ Shield. And on top, with the record of points in Major League Soccer. Congratulations, you are the best team of the season in America. Second, based on this outstanding performance of this year you deserve to be, and you will be, for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

“And third, as the host team of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, you will have the honour of opening the tournament by hosting the opening game here in Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium in front of 65,000 people and tens of millions at home.”

The controversial decision to grant Inter Miami a spot in the Club World Cup, based on undisclosed criteria, has sparked outrage among football fans. The move, which spread like wildfire across social media platforms, has seen supporters of other MLS teams cry foul over what they see as blatant favouritism.

With the Club World Cup struggling for broadcaster interest, it’s speculated that FIFA president Gianni Infantino is banking on Lionel Messi’s allure to boost the tournament’s profile. “The criteria was always the same,” vented one disgruntled fan on Twitter.

“Whichever team had Lionel Messi was gonna qualify.”

Inter Miami now must shift their attention to the upcoming MLS play-offs before they can dream of Club World Cup glory next summer. Should Messi lead them to victory, it would be another jewel in his crown, though not all football enthusiasts would be celebrating the triumph.