David Beckham's ownership of Inter Miami has been the "biggest challenge" of his career

He told People: "When we first announced it, I thought we'd have the team up and running in a few years."

David's ambitions for the club faced a series of setbacks and delays, before he managed to get the project off the ground - but he's now thrilled with the club's progress.

The former England captain - who played for the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid during his career - shared: "It's been the biggest challenge that I've had in my career and my business life, but it's been the most rewarding."

David played an instrumental role in attracting Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, and he's delighted to have the sporting legend on his team.

The sports star - who is married to fashion designer Victoria Beckham - said: "I always promised that I would bring the world's best players here, and when you make those promises - especially here in Miami - you have to keep it. But I never thought in my wildest dreams I would bring the greatest player to have ever played the game."

Messi, 37, has helped to transform the club's off-field profile over recent years. And David has been amazed by his impact since joining the club in 2023, observing that Messi has made an "incredible" difference to the team.

Reflecting on the so-called Messi effect at Inter Miami, David said: "Everything has changed for us. We've quadrupled everything on one signing - the difference is incredible. The difference on the field, off the field...

"On the field is obvious because obviously he's quality, and ... the other young players are gaining knowledge from him, but also, they're getting better from them which is one of the reasons why you bring these players in.

"Off the field, the amount of interest we've had globally as a club, the numbers that we have coming in, the new stadium that we're building, the new sponsors that come in and are interested - it's all of those things."