Becks: Miami move a dream come true

David Beckham’s long wait for a Major League Soccer team in Miami is over.

MLS commissioner Don Garber announced yesterday that Miami would become the league’s 24th city, awarding the franchise to a group headed by Beckham, that included his manager Simon Fuller and businessmen Marcelo Claure, Masayoshi Sun, and Jorge and Jose Mas.

Beckham has been working on bringing a team to Miami for several years, and admitted yesterday that there were times when he thought the idea might not work.

“It was difficult at times,” he said. “There were times when we sat back and said, ‘This is not going to happen, this dream is not going to happen’. It was too difficult, there were too many bumps in the road, but I don’t give up.”

The possibility of owning a franchise was part of Beckham’s move to LA Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2007, with Beckham keen to get in on the ground floor of a league which has almost doubled in size since then when measured by the numbers of teams.

“I joined the Galaxy in 2007 because I realised the long-term potential of this league,” said the 42-year-old. “I moved from Real Madrid, as you know a pretty big team, to come to a league not fully established.

“That was a big move, one that I always knew was going to be a challenge, an interesting, exciting challenge and I want to thank commissioner Garber because he came to me and say down and explained the plan of this league and where he wanted to take it. I was in. I was in from day one...

“People say this is a city that is built on dreams. Today you made my dream come true.”