David Beckham had a long chat with Sir Alex Ferguson before launching MLS franchise Inter Miami in 2018. Beckham started his career as part of Ferguson's Manchester United dynasty, and the legendary boss offered in-depth advice to the former England winger on how to build long-lasting success of his own.
Beckham owns 10 per cent of the star-studded Inter Miami side which is leading the Eastern Conference this season, with only four defeats in 33 matches.
The Florida-based outfit boasts modern legends of the game in their squad such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets, but Beckham claims that a large chunk of Ferguson's advice boiled down to maximising the academy set-up.
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He told Rio Ferdinand Presents: "I went to him once and said to him, 'I'm starting this team, how would you run it?' And he sat me down for a couple of hours and he told me what I should do and what players I should be looking for and how I should run the academy.
"The boss was like, 'Okay, the academy is really important'. When I first moved to LA, I turned around to the commissioner of the league and said, 'How many academies are in the league?' He said, 'None'.
"I said, 'Okay, for longevity and the future of this league and the future of this game in this country, academy systems are important. You have to have one in each of the clubs in the MLS'. Now, every one of the clubs in the MLS has academy systems.
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"As much as I love seeing the players and the team that we have created at Miami, you've got Leo, you've got Sergio, you've got [Jordi] Alba, you've got Luis Suarez.
"But when I see them passing around the pitch, and all of a sudden, they pass to Benjamin Cremaschi, who has come through our academy from a young kid, and he's now playing with these players - that makes me proud."
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Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi and his former Barcelona team-mate Suarez have been reliable sources of goals for Inter Miami this season, with 35 scored between them. Both 37 years old, Beckham has shed light on the decision to splash out on big wages for players at the end of their careers.
"I wanted to do something for America," Beckham explained. "With Leo, we knew what we were bringing and I knew that he was going to be successful on the field, but I also knew he was going to help our club off the field."
