The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has identified a fellow award-winner to join him at MLS giant Inter Miami, and the club's co-owner David Beckham has already made contact

The number eyeballs that Lionel Messi has drawn to Inter Miami is startling. On the day that his signing was announced, the MLS franchise had a meagre tally of 900,000 Instagram followers. Inter Miami now boast more than 15 million; only three American sports franchises can lay claim to a larger fanbase on the same platform.

After scoring 11 goals during Inter Miami’s 12-game unbeaten streak, Messi has played just 37 minutes since the 3-1 road victory against Los Angeles FC on Sept. 3. He missed the game against Kansas City while on national team duty and has missed four of the next five matches with an unspecified leg injury.

That pattern held true again Saturday, when the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was scratched from the lineup for a matchup against New York City FC — a game with significant Major League Soccer playoff implications for both clubs. Messi has a leg injury, the severity of which has not been revealed by Inter Miami.