Retired soccer superstar David Beckham has chosen Miami for his Major League Soccer franchise, he announced Wednesday morning.
“For me, I wanted to create a team that we could start from scratch,” he said, joined by MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, a local NBC affiliate reported.
Mr. Beckham stayed mum about the plans the night before at an invite-only reception at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center.
“It’s an exciting time for myself, an exciting time to be welcomed into a city like this, so yeah, tomorrow’s going to be a good day,” he said.
Mr. Beckham and his group of investors has been actively working on finding a stadium, NBC reported. The group has checked out Sun Life Stadium and Marlins Park, although they would prefer to build their own.
“Any stadium here in Miami-Dade County will be privately funded and if it’s on our land, county land, then I expect a rent payment,” Mr. Gimenez said.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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