MUMBAI: David Beckham told AFP in an interview on Wednesday that his Inter Miami franchise signed Lionel Messi as 鈥渙ur gift to America and the MLS.鈥�

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder Beckham, speaking on his first-ever visit to India and in his role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, admitted he still has to pinch himself when he sees the Argentinian World Cup winner on the teamsheet in Florida.

鈥淚t鈥檚 still hard to believe that when someone turns around to me and says Inter Miami have Lionel Messi in their team, you know,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very proud thing for me to have as an owner, to have a player like that, the best player in the world, in our team.

鈥淲e always knew that bringing Leo to America, not just to Miami, it was our gift to America and the MLS.

鈥淏ecause someone like that changes the game. You know, someone like that inspires another generation of soccer players.

鈥淎nd that鈥檚 why we wanted to bring Leo to the team. Of course, we want to win championships. Of course, we want to be the best team in the league.

鈥淏ut one of the reasons why we bought him was to also inspire the next generation of soccer players in America.

鈥淭o want to be soccer players. So bringing him does that and it鈥檚 an important thing for us.鈥�

Former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star Messi shocked the football world when he shunned stratospheric offers from 黑料社区 and elsewhere to join Inter Miami in July, seven months after he had led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar.

The 36-year-old went on to light up Major League Soccer with some stellar performances but was unable to carry Inter Miami into the playoffs this season.

Beckham, 48, who has turned a successful playing career that included captaining England and winning the Champions League with Manchester United into a high-profile role as a rights advocate and style icon, is the co-owner of Inter Miami.

He was speaking to AFP in Mumbai before attending the start of the Cricket World Cup semifinal between India and New Zealand, in an interview for which questions had to be vetted in advance.

Beckham explained that his first contact with the UN children鈥檚 charity began when he was a teenager.

鈥淢y first involvement with UNICEF was when I was 17 years old in Thailand when I was there with Manchester United, and I went to a women鈥檚 care center,鈥� he said.

鈥淏ut obviously with my travels over the years, I鈥檝e seen how young girls are getting left behind, they鈥檙e not getting the same rights and the same equal opportunities as the boys.

鈥淪o our focus has really been on girls in the last five to 10 years and that is the same here.鈥�

Beckham said he was convinced sport could play a key role in children鈥檚 lives, as it had in his own.

鈥淚t gave me the foundation to have leadership, teamwork, discipline, focus. And just to have that confidence,鈥� said the father of four children.

鈥淚鈥檝e seen when I鈥檝e gone into different villages around the world with UNICEF, when I take a football into this village, these children鈥檚 faces light up.

鈥淔or that time when I鈥檓 playing football with them or they鈥檙e kicking a football around, they forget about everything else that is going on around them that is not good.鈥�