Lionel Messi Hints at Interest in Playing for David Beckham's MLS Miami Team

Lionel Messi has hinted he would be interested in playing for David Beckham's Major League Soccer franchise in Miami. 

The Barcelona star sent Beckham a message of congratulations after the franchise was confirmed on Monday, per Pase Filtrado:

According to Marca, the Argentinian said: "Hi David, first of all congratulations, I hope all goes well with the new project, in this new step you are taking and who knows, in a few years maybe you will give me a call."

Beckham told BBC Sport's Natalie Pirks that one of his main roles will be to help attract stars from European football:

The former England international won 19 major trophies in a career spanning two decades, which was comprised of spells with Manchester United, Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

BeIN Sports USA's Chris Wittyngham believes Messi's comments are a clear indication Beckham will be able to attract top talent to the Florida-based outfit:

Meanwhile, Bleacher Report's own Dean Jones anticipates Cristiano Ronaldo might join them one day:

Miami won't be able to play matches until 2020, while Messi's contract with Barcelona runs out a year later, expiring shortly after his 34th birthday.

Per TyC Sports (h/t Marca), the forward recently reiterated his hope of retiring at childhood club Newell's Old Boys, though he also expressed concerns over returning to Argentina.

As such, Miami could provide an alternative if Messi wants a different challenge to Barcelona in his twilight years, and depending on how long he stayed there he could still have time for a brief spell at Newell's after if he so desired.

A number of top stars have headed to MLS from Europe in recent years, including Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, Thierry Henry and Steven Gerrard, and there will likely be others willing to follow in their footsteps to Miami.

If Beckham were to be able to land Messi or Ronaldo, though, it would be a sensational coup that could have a positive impact on the launch of the franchise.