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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Joseph D'Hippolito, in Carson, California

‘It’s a luxury to have him’: how Messi is building on Beckham’s legacy

27,000 people attended LA Galaxy versus Inter Miami, the largest regular-season crowd in LA’s history.
27,000 people attended LA Galaxy versus Inter Miami, the largest regular-season crowd in LA’s history. Photograph: Gary A Vasquez/USA Today Sports

The atmosphere surrounding Lionel Messi’s most recent match at the Dignity Health Sports Park featured the kind of energy, anticipation and hype that permeated the place when an England international called it home.

David Beckham, that international, propelled Major League Soccer into global significance during his five-and-a-half seasons with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Messi – who became the first MLS player to win the Fifa Ballon d’Or last year as a member of Inter Miami – now becomes the league’s focal point to expand that influence in his first full season.

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