Away from the sweltering humidity and bright lights of Miami is a little-known place in the north of England called Salford. Truth be told, Salford was once a forgettable city in greater Manchester but these days, it has become a household name across the world.
This is primarily down to the fact that a group of Manchester United’s most successful players bought the city’s struggling soccer team in 2014. At this stage, Salford was an amateur non-league side and miles away from the big time of the global phenomenon that is the English Premier League, but thanks to the injection of funds from the group that is dubbed the ‘Class of ‘92’, Salford have enjoyed four promotions in eight years under their ownership and are now fully professional.
Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that they are only three promotions away from the untold riches of the Premier League, which is why their groundbreaking journey has been documented by the likes of Sky Sports and has ultimately led to the club becoming renowned on a worldwide stage.
That’s all very good and well, but what has it got to do with the city of Miami? Quite a bit as it turns out.
Trouble in paradise
David Beckham is the latest shareholder to come on board at Salford City after buying a 10% stake in the club in 2019.
In essence, this means that the Inter Miami owner now has two football interests on the go, as he also owns the Floridian club after touching down at the busy Miami airport a few years ago to begin a dynasty in the MLS.
Strictly speaking, this wouldn’t have been seen as a distraction for Beckham, given that he was to take on a silent partner role in Salford, but considering the fact that Inter Miami have battled to make any headway whatsoever in the MLS since the club’s inception, you do begin to wonder if it was wise for Beckham to get involved in this extraordinary ongoing project all the way on the other side of the pond when so much is on the line for his investment in Florida.
David Beckham took a first look around The Peninsula Stadium on Saturday! ?
Have a watch of his visit below! ? pic.twitter.com/lGCmoOlgfO
— Salford City FC (@SalfordCityFC) February 18, 2019
You get the sense that the Adidas athlete is slowly realizing how demanding the Salford job is, especially when considering how obsessed his fellow investors are with regards to getting to the Premier League in the shortest amount of time.
Furthermore, January will see another hefty spend in the winter transfer market by all investors in a bid to achieve promotion from League Two in May. Revealingly, that is something that the latest online betting prices are at odds of +500 as of the 11th of January, which ultimately means that going up is still a realistic possibility.
Go big or go back to Salford
At the same time that Beckham is being asked to open his checkbook to bankroll the fifth promotion since 2014 for Salford, he will simultaneously be tasked with getting Inter Miami ready for the 2022 MLS season and also keeping a somewhat ambivalent public interested in his venture.
This is where the rubber will hit the road for Beckham as one of the benefits of moving to Miami to start a team was that he would have an untouched audience to entertain, but the last few seasons have been dire in terms of enjoyment, which could prove fatal in the effort to grow the team’s support in the area.
You could say that the party in Miami is well and truly over for Beckham now that his team needs to begin developing a brand of football that will capture the imagination. However, this is a job that will require every inch of his attention; something that he can’t quite give totally now that he is involved in the Salford journey.
Beckham ? Neville
The former Man United duo celebrate Inter Miami’s first goal of the season ? pic.twitter.com/37zHkYhKv5
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 18, 2021
There is, of course, the chance that this world icon ends up proving everyone wrong and is able to enjoy success in both Miami and Salford but right now, it is looking like a job that is a bridge too far. The question perhaps is whether Beckham will end up selling his Salford City stake to ensure that his larger investment in Inter Miami doesn’t go up in smoke.
Time is ticking on both sides of the pond and there are precious little guarantees in the world of football: success comes down to the most marginal of factors and without total commitment to the cause, the chances of glory go up.
