The news of Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami, a Major League Soccer (MLS) club owned by David Beckham, has recently taken aback the soccer world. The Argentine soccer legend has chosen to move to the US, rejecting a $1.6 billion offer from Saudi Arabia club Al-Hilal.

By signing Messi, Inter Miami has cemented its place as a club aiming for success. However, what many might not know is that this incredible decision by Messi was made possible by the ‘David Beckham Rule’, a rule that has paved the way for the growth of the MLS.

What is the David Beckham Rule?

In 2007, David Beckham made headlines when he joined the MLS side, LA Galaxy. Months before the signing, a rule was implemented to enable the team to sign him on a $6.5 million base salary for five years. This rule ultimately came to be known as the David Beckham rule.

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With this rule, teams could pursue world-class talent and attract star players from around the world. Also, this allowed MLS teams to sign one player outside of the salary cap. The signing of David Beckham had a massive impact on the MLS. His transition to MLS generated a huge spike in popularity and brought soccer into the mainstream consciousness of the US.

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Since the implementation of the David Beckham Rule, the MLS has seen a significant increase in the number of international players. This has raised the standard of play in the league. Clubs have taken advantage of this rule and have signed world-class players, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, David Villa, and now Lionel Messi.

The decision of Lionel Messi to join Inter Miami

Lionel Messi had several options when it came to choosing his next club. He could have returned to FC Barcelona, which would have been a sentimental choice. Or he could have decided to take up an irresistible offer of $1.6 billion for two seasons from Al-Hilal, one of Saudi Arabia’s wealthiest clubs.

However, Messi decided to join Inter Miami and become the highest-paid player in the MLS, earning $54 million per year. Currently, the highest earner in the league is Xherdan Shaqiri from Switzerland. Representing the Chicago Fire, Shaqiri earns a substantial salary of $8.2 million. This makes Messi’s salary almost 6x more than the current high. The signing of Messi has created an exciting prospect for both fans and other teams.

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It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.