David Beckham Gifts Birthday Boy Lionel Messi Century-Old Wine

Former England captain David Beckham extended his heartfelt wish to Lionel Messi, who rang in his 37th birthday on Monday, June 24. Beckham dropped a picture on Instagram where Messi could be seen standing by him while holding his birthday present. Beckham appears to have gifted Messi a bottle of Catena Zapata, a century-old brand of wine from Argentina.

In the caption of the post, the Inter Miami co-owned branded his “friend” Messi as “the greatest.” Replying to the wish, the Argentine superstar wrote, “Thank you very much, David.” The legendary footballers share a good bond, which has become stronger since Messi joined Inter Miami last summer. The former Barcelona striker is currently on national duty, leading Argentina in the Copa America, underway in the United States.

Beckham has spoken highly of Messi on many occasions. Beckham was desperate to bring the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner to the Major League Soccer (MLS) since Inter Miami came into existence in 2018. Earlier during an interview with James Cordon, Beckham revealed how he felt when Messi decided to join his club.

According to the Manchester United legend, he had kept in touch with Messi’s father Jorge for “five years”. “Me and my partner in Miami sneaked into a hotel to meet Leo’s dad five years before he signed for us. And we had a meeting with him, and I said, ‘Look, I know Leo’s not ready now, but I want your son to play for my club in the future,” Beckham said on an episode of ‘This Life of Mine with James Corden’.

The moment finally came in July 2023 when Messi decided to wrap up his career in European football. He jetted off to America, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract at Inter Miami. Being a co-owner of the club, Beckham was certainly aware of the development. But once the news became official, he felt like a dream come true.

“Four or five A.M. in Japan, and I’m in bed, and my phone keeps buzzing and buzzing and buzzing … I then see, ‘Leo Messi has decided to come to Miami.’ And I get goosebumps now. I sit up in my bed, and I start crying. Because we just signed Leo Messi – the greatest player to ever have played our game,” Beckham recalled during the chat with Corden.

Messi played a pivotal role in Inter Miami’s historic triumph at the 2023 Leagues Cup, which was also the first trophy of the club. Speaking about his current assignment, the Messi-led Argentina have made a roaring start to their title defence at Copa America. The reigning World Champions beat Canada 2-0 in the campaign opener. Argentina will face Chile in the next Group A game on June 26.

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