Griezmann: I'll go to Inter Miami if Beckham wants me
Inter Miami, the upcoming Major League Soccer expansion franchise whose ownership group is led by David Beckham, have only just announced their name, badge, and team colors, but could already have secured a global star for their future.
Atletico Madrid and France forward Antoine Griezmann has revealed that he would join the new Floridian team if Beckham wanted him at the club, although he seemed to hint that the LA Galaxy and LAFC are also leading options.
"If Beckham wants me in his club, then I'll go," Griezmann told French publication L'Equipe, as quoted by the Independent's Liam Twomey.
"I want to finish my career in the U.S. I don't know yet if it's going to be in Miami or Los Angeles. They are two great cities. I like the mentality and the show culture of the U.S."
Inter Miami are slated to start MLS play in 2020, but supporters hoping to see Griezmann wearing the pink and black in the club's inaugural season are surely asking too much. The striker is a newly-anointed World Cup winner and still only 27, an age that traditionally sees forwards in their prime. There's also the matter of a new five-year deal at Atletico which Griezmann signed in June and keeps him contracted in the Spanish capital until the age of 32.
However, when he does decide to make what seems an ultimately inevitable move to the U.S., a key factor that will likely give Inter Miami the edge over any rivals is his worship of former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder Beckham.
Griezmann admitted two years ago that Beckham is his "idol" and that he prefers the No. 7 shirt and long sleeves in homage to the former England captain. "He had a lot of class on and off the pitch," the Frenchman said at the time. "That is what I liked about him. No one had the right foot he had. I've never spoken to him but I would like to."
Given the sentiment, it's quite likely that Griezmann will be hearing from his idol in the next 18 months or so.