David Beckham Makes Bold Prediction for U.S. Men’s National Team

Last year, David Beckham sold Lionel Messi on the vision for his Major League Soccer club Inter Miami, convincing the reigning World Cup winner and former Barcelona superstar to leave Europe and begin a new chapter of his legendary career in North America.

Part of Beckham's sales pitch also included talk of the chance to leave a lasting legacy in American soccer. Sure, there was the obvious financial incentive of a two-and-a-half-year, $150 million contract, but Beckham convinced Messi, arguably the world's greatest soccer player ever, to view the opportunity as being more than just about the money.

Beckham described it as a "gift" — with the ultimate present coming in the form of a World Cup title for the United States men's national team.

"It's a gift in a sense of 'I want to inspire the next generation of young kids that are playing in this country,'" Beckham said on "Hot Ones" with Sean Evans. "Because at some point, the U.S. will win the World Cup. At some point. And it needs moments like this where you bring someone of Leo's magnitude.

"He's good on the field. He's good off the field. He's the perfect professional. And so if you bring someone like that, then all of these young kids that are watching throughout America, going to watch him in their stadiums, in their city, get inspired. And that's really what we wanted to do."

Beckham knows how a single world soccer star can change the landscape in America. He experienced it himself when he shockingly moved from Real Madrid to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007.

His five-year, $250 million contract proved to European league stars that MLS could be a destination (as well as a nice late-career payday), and it forever altered the landscape of the league with new roster rules to increase spending on more talented players. Without Beckham's trailblazing, Messi never considers MLS as an option.

As for Beckham's prediction of the USMNT winning a World Cup, the presence of Messi alone won't fulfill his football prophecy.

While the U.S. has had talented players who've succeeded in Europe's top leagues — most recently AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic — it still has yet to produce a truly world-class player. Realistically, to win a World Cup, the U.S. men will need a transcendent talent — the American version of Messi.

For now, USMNT success is defined by doing the simple things correctly, like hiring the right head coach.