Beckham sees 'dream come true' with Miami soccer franchise
English football superstar David Beckham launched his long-awaited Major League Soccer franchise in Miami on Monday, after nearly four years of delays and numerous setbacks.
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"It's been a hell of a journey," David Beckham told a packed news conference on Monday after being awarded a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami.
"I've got to be honest, it was very difficult. There were times when I sat back and thought, 'This isn't going to happen'."
It very nearly didn't. His plans to launch a Major League Soccer franchise have been beset by problems since 2014 when they were first announced.
Several failed stadium sites delayed his consortium's efforts, with Beckham's team unable to find an agreeable place for a specially built venue.
The former England captain waxed emotional at Monday's press conference, which included a videotaped welcome from a galaxy of stars like Serena Williams, Neymar, Usain Bolt, actor Will Smith and hip-hop moghul Jay-Z.
"As an ownership group, we want to reach for the stars, we want to bring the best players in," he said but he also expressed his desire to groom home-grown players.
"When you bring home-grown talented kids into a team like this, that's when a community is built and that's when people become proud to be supporters of a team."
Training young players
Land for a new stadium has now been found and Beckham says that building an academy to develop local talent is central to the project "because you see young kids from the ages of 11,12,13 go from being young players into full-blown professionals".
That was how his 20-year career at Manchester United started.
Beckham, who went on to win league crowns with Real Madrid, the Galaxy in North America and Paris Saint-Germain, is hoping to create in Miami the same academy system that helped him flourish.
"We have to invest into the hotbed of talent in this city," he said.
He's the league's first former player to become an owner.
Key details, including when the team would debut in the league, the team's name and the team's logo, are still to be revealed.
Quarter of normal price
But Beckham could hardly conceal his joy at finally sealing the deal.
He's only paying around 25 million dollars (20 million euros), around a quarter of the price Los Angeles are paying when they join the league this March. Normal franchise licenses cost more than 100 million dollars (80 million euros)..
“This is a city that’s based on dreams. Today you made my dream come true," he said.
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