David Beckham Awarded Miami MLS Team, Will Begin Play 2020

The team name, logo and colors will be rolled out in the next few months, with input from fans. There had been hints black and white would be in the color scheme, but owners said fans will be invited to suggest ideas via an international social media campaign in the coming weeks.

Beckham’s team became a reality at a glitzy noon ceremony at the Adrienne Arsht Center. An audience of 1,700 and 300 media members were on hand for the big moment, when MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave Beckham and his partners league scarves as a sign of the done deal. A special piece of music by Emilio Estefan played in the background.

“I promised my son, who is here today, that I wouldn’t get emotional,” Beckham told the crowd. “But it’s very hard.”

“Luckily, this four years of pain, at times, has taught me that sometimes you go through certain moments where it’s difficult,” Beckham told the Miami Herald minutes before the ceremony. “But there’s a reason why it’s taken this long. If I hadn’t gone through those times, I wouldn’t have met these guys [pointing to Miami co-owners Jorge and Jose Mas], guys who are passionate about this city and this sport. It’s like the weather [Monday]. You walk out the door and it’s raining, then you walk out another door and it’s sun. That’s kind of like the journey it’s been the last four years. There have been moments I got off a phone call and I’m excited and it’s happening, and I wake up the next morning and it’s all gone.”

Beckham confirmed he will oversee the soccer aspect of the team, and plans to be a very hands-on owner.

“Anything I do in my life — business, family, I’m in 120 percent,” Beckham said. “And that’s the only way I see to be successful. I’ve played this game for many years. I’ve been lucky to have played in some of the biggest clubs in the world, under some of the biggest managers, with some of the best players. So, my experience is in football, so that is what I bring this ownership group.

“I’m going to be spending a huge amount of time here. I love this city. I’ve gotten to know it even more over the past four years.”

Asked whether he has heard from any players who want to join his club, Beckham smiled and said: “I’ve been hearing from players for the last four years, from the moment we announced, I had players on the phone to me. Obviously, I won’t say who they are, but we have a lot of work to do before we get to that point.”

He did reveal his team “won’t be defensive,” but rather play a “vibrant, attacking” style.

He said he wants his team to be a combination of big names that fans recognize and young players who come through the team’s development academy. There are plans to build a world-class academy with at least 10 fields that can also be used for visiting national and club teams, and tournaments. “There is a hotbed of talent here, and that is where our future players and fans will come from,” he said.

A celebrity congratulations video shown at the ceremony included well wishes from tennis star Serena Williams, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, soccer star Neymar, runner Usain Bolt, and entertainers DJ Khaled, Jay-Z, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez.