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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Alex James

Lionel Messi just two games away from giving David Beckham his first trophy with Inter Miami

He's not even officially joined yet but Lionel Messi is just two games away from lifting his first trophy as an Inter Miami player.

The Major League Soccer side have won the race for the Argentina great and the 35-year-old is expected to be confirmed as a Herons player in the coming days. Messi has spent the past two seasons in France with PSG and lifted the league title in both campaigns.

But Champions League success continued to elude the Paris outfit and ultimately Messi's spell with the club was unsuccessful, ending with his name being jeered by some supporters and the player being suspended for taking a commercial trip to Saudi Arabia.

A move to Miami will spell the end of his career in Europe, where he enjoyed a trophy-laden career at Barcelona which saw him claim all the major honours. And he could add to his trophy haul within weeks of arriving in the States.

ALSO READ: 'Could change everything' - Messi, Beckham and Inter Miami's search for sporting success

On the day the news broke that Messi was moving to David Beckham's Miami, the club confirmed their place in the semi-finals of the US Open Cup. A 1-0 win over second-tier Birmingham Legion booked their spot in the last four.

They now travel to MLS side Cincinnati on August 23, which could be one of Messi's first games for his new club. Should they negotiate that tie, then a final against either Houston Dynamo or Real Salt Lake awaits on September 27.

With Miami bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference, Messi and his teammates have work to do to make the play-offs this season but silverware could well arrive in the Leagues Cup. Messi could make his debut in the competition, which gets underway next month and concludes in August while the MLS is on a month-long break.

That competition sees clubs from America and Mexico compete, initially in three-team groups, before a round of 32 knockout stage. Miami face Cruz Azul and Atlanta United in the first phase.

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