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Former England football team captain David Beckham has finally announced officially that he will acquire an MLS (US football championship) license in the near future and will establish a football team in Miami.
According to the BBC, David Beckham's goal to have his own team in the MLS could be part of a deal that saw the midfielder join the Los Angeles Galaxy team in 2007.
"At the moment my family, myself, friends and business partners are living to make sure that a football team is established in Miami. I think the city deserves it for a long time. It's a great place, full of energy and passion," Beckham said.
The star stated that the project will be funded from his and his partners' money and he won't need community or city funds for it.
"We will build the stadium with our own money, but we will need help from the city to allocate a space for it. I want to create a team that is good and competes at the top level. I know that it was already done a decade ago," Beckham said.
The Englishman stated that in the near future he will devote all his time and money to this project. It was previously reported that NBA star LeBron James also wants to invest in Beckham's project.
The MLS team in Miami failed in 2001, just four seasons after its founding. At that time, the team did not attract enough fans' interest and went bankrupt. However, since then, soccer in the US has become more popular, and the MLS has attracted several famous players to help improve the league's reputation.
Currently, the MLS has 19 teams, but it was previously announced that two more teams will join from 2015 - Orlando City SC and New York City. The latter is owned by the owners of the English club Manchester City.
"Yes, in the team we will aim to have famous players and we will definitely have them. My career achievements and name ensure that there will be interest in the opportunity to play with us.
However, my biggest goal is not just to bring in capable foreigners. I want to establish a youth academy. We want to attract talented local children. In recent years, the US national football team has greatly improved and if we want this to continue, we need to invest in football academies," Beckham said.
