How David Beckham turned his Miami MLS dream into a reality

Regardless of his status as one of the most famous people on the planet, when David Beckham – the recently minted owner of an MLS team in Miami – wants to wish his daughter good night via FaceTime, that’s what happens. Think less Brand Beckham and more Dad Beckham.

The 42-year-old global football (and fashion) icon originally has just wrapped up giving possibly the most emotional speech of his professional life.

Beckham spoke at length to a room full of fans and media crews gathered at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts about he was to finally achieve his dream of landing a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami, Florida.

David Beckham addresses the media during an event to announce his Major League Soccer franchise.

The yet to be named 25th MLS franchise will debut in 2020 in a temporary location, but play permanently in a privately developed 25,000-seat stadium within the city from 2021.

But mere minutes after speaking eloquently, emotionally, and effortlessly about a project which has, at times, consumed his life over the past four years, Beckham could put the historic nature of the day to one side, and catch up with his daughter on the other side of the pond.

On and off the field, football or family-related, David Beckham is nothing if not devoted.

It’s a trait that has served him well over the years, and a calm and composed Beckham was able to put the trials and tribulations into context when sitting down with CNN World Sport’s Don Riddell.

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Beckham realizes Miami MLS dream

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‘The right time’

Numerous locations had been considered for the new team’s home but were either rejected or held back by red tape.

When it seemed that the project was going to wither on the vine, a relatively recent introduction to Cuban-American businessmen Jorge and Jose Mas, who along with the CEO of Sprint Corporation Marcelo Claure, and the founder of Japanese telecommunications firm SoftBank, Masayoshi Son, led to a renewed impetus. In football parlance more reserved for transfers, they finally got the deal over the line.

“I just think that it has been a long journey,” Beckham told CNN. “I look back on (things) now and there’s a reason that it’s taken this long. There’s a reason why we’ve met different owners and it didn’t work out … because it just wasn’t right. Now it’s right.”

David Beckham waves to fans as he walks off the pitch after the Los Angeles Galaxy defeat the Huston Dynamo in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup, December 1, 2012 in Carson, California. It was Beckham's last game with the Galaxy. AFP PHOTO / Robyn Beck (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Beckham found himself drawing on his two decades of sporting experience when times were tough, and it’s impossible to not draw comparisons from his stellar career for club and country – such as the time he dragged England single-handedly to the 2002 World Cup after scoring a last-ditch free-kick against Greece at his beloved Old Trafford stadium.

“Persistence pays off,” continues the man who represented England on 115 occasions. “I just know that I don’t give in. I work hard. Sometimes things don’t happen for a reason and I’ve learned that over the last four, five years since I finished playing. But I think there’s a reason sometimes why things take time. And sometimes some of the best businesses are built over time.”

His wife famously called him "Golden Balls" -- and David Beckham has the Midas Touch both on and off the football pitch.

Now turning into something of a senior statesman since hanging up his boots in 2013, the boy from east London turned 40 on May 2, 2015.

Here he is pictured with two of the people responsible for helping him become a global phenomenon, transcending his status as a football star: his wife Victoria (right) and "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller (left).

When he started out as a youth player at Manchester United, there was little indication Beckham would be a fashion icon around the world.

There were the haircuts, such as this corn-row style sported while representing England in 2003.

After leaving Manchester United for Real Madrid in 2003, his follicles were regularly the focus of media attention. Here a shaven-headed Beckham promotes his first official training skills DVD -- "Really Bend It Like Beckham," a title referring to the 2002 British film starring a young Keira Knightley as an aspiring footballer.

Although Beckham's life is under constant media scrutiny, sometimes he likes to tease -- here hiding his new hairstyle during a training session in Madrid.

Two days later his new blond look was unveiled during Real's match against Athletic Bilbao, with the big-spending club winning the Spanish league title in Beckham's final season there.

Having moved to American club Los Angeles Galaxy later in 2007, David Beckham sported this variant on his earlier mohawk look.

Like father, like son: the Beckhams' third offspring Cruz with his dad at an NBA game in LA in 2009.

While still an LA player, Beckham made two loan moves back to Europe with Italian club AC Milan during Major League Soccer's offseason.

Beckham's sculpted body is heavily tattooed. This is a closeup of his hand taken during the "United for Wildlife" conservation campaign launch in 2014.

The previous year, Beckham showed this tattoo to fans in Beijing, having been named an international ambassador by the China Football Association. It reportedly says, "Death and life have determined appointments. Riches and honor depend upon heaven."

This Gothic winged cross on his neck, unveiled ahead of the 2004 European Championships, is just above the name of his first son Brooklyn.

All four children feature on his skin -- and on his boots -- while Victoria's name is inked in Sanskrit on his left forearm.

Victoria, formerly one of the all-conquering Spice Girls pop group, is credited with transforming Beckham from a floppy-haired footballer into a fashion designer's dream.

From wobbly-voiced pouting singer, the former "Posh Spice" has become a respected award-winning designer, even guest editing for the French version of Vogue in December 2013.

His many underwear adverts have earned him a following among men and women alike.

In 1998, Beckham was widely mocked for wearing a sarong -- but his "metrosexual" look was at the forefront of a new sensitive male image emerging from the lager-fueled UK "Lad culture" of that decade.

"Posh and Becks" regularly mix with Hollywood glitterati. They are seen here arriving in Italy for the 2006 wedding between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Beckham is reportedly flying Cruise and other friends to Morocco for his 40th birthday party.

In 2011, they attended the British royal wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton.

Beckham's children have grown up in the media glare surrounding him -- here he is pictured with sons (L-R) Cruz, Brooklyn and Romeo Beckham during a diving event at the 2012 London Olympics.

Daughter Harper, born in 2011, attended a presentation of her mom's work at the New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter shows in February 2014.

Here the family attend the press night of "Viva Forever," a musical based on the career of the Spice Girls, in December 2012.

Beckham also took his boys to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where they attended the final between Germany and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium.

The Beckhams have been a picture of family unity since weathering the media storm of 2004, when it was widely reported that David had an affair with his PA Rebecca Loos, who in the aftermath created her own career as a minor reality TV celebrity. The footballer vigorously denied claims of any infidelity.

Here Ted Beckham watches his son playing the final game of his top-level career, for Paris Saint-Germain in May 2013. Beckham joined the French club on a five-month deal after leaving the U.S. and donated his reported $4.3 million salary to a children's charity.

While his father's love of Manchester United inspired Beckham's early career, his mother Sandra's vocation -- hairdressing -- may have had a large influence in his appearance. Here she is pictured with Beckham's sister Joanne during the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Beckham's most glorious achievement at Manchester United came when the club won a treble of trophies in 1999, capped by a last-gasp win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. United came from behind to triumph 2-1, with both goals scored in stoppage time and resulting from Beckham's corners.

Alex Ferguson brought Beckham into United's first team as part of the now venerated "Class of '92" youth side. They won six Premier League titles together but their relationship deteriorated as Beckham's celebrity persona blossomed -- and the Scottish manager's infamous kicking of a boot into the player's head in the Old Trafford dressing-room after an FA Cup defeat in 2003 precipitated his move to Real Madrid.

Beckham won his first international cap in 1996 at the age of 21, in a World Cup qualifying match against Moldova.

He was selected for the 1998 World Cup but was vilified back home after being sent off for petulantly kicking out at Argentina captain Diego Simeone as England painfully exited in the second round following a penalty shootout.

As well as facing vitriol over the World Cup debacle, the seemingly effeminate Beckham was an easy target for fans at rival Premier League clubs. Here he blows a kiss to Chelsea supporters during United's run to winning the FA Cup in '99.

Beckham received his 100th cap from Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton in 2008 and the midfielder went on to play 115 times at the top level -- the most by any English outfield player and second only behind goalkeeper Peter Shilton's 125 internationals.

Beckham's shock move to America helped grow the nascent MLS and boost soccer's image in a country where it was previously a minority sport. He sold a reported 300,000 replica shirts each season of his half-decade stay in LA, winning two MLS Cup titles.

However, Beckham had to win over LA fans after his deal was said to be worth $250 million -- which later turned out to be a publicity stunt by his agents: his contract was actually for $32.5M plus add-ons. Galaxy fans were also angered by reports Beckham was seeking a permanent move to Milan, where he suffered an Achilles injury that ruled him out of the 2010 World Cup and much of that MLS season.

Beckham's move to Qatar-owned PSG gave him kudos in the Middle East. He presented the winner's trophy to tennis player David Ferrer at the 2015 Qatar Open in Doha.

He has reportedly sought help from PSG's owners in funding his new Miami MLS franchise, which has been beset by stadium delays since it was announced in February 2014. Beckham had a clause in his Galaxy contract giving him the right to buy a new team for $25 million once he'd stopped playing.

Among his charity projects, Beckham is a UNICEF ambasador. Here he plays with Filipino children who survived Typhoon Haiyan, which killed over 6,000 people in late 2013 and devastated large areas of Southeast Asia.

Beckham launched his own soccer academy in 2005, with bases in London and Los Angeles. Both closed within five years during the global economic crisis.

Beckham is now firmly established among the world's most powerful figures -- here he and former French president Nicolas Sarkozy watch PSG play in a Champions League match in February 2015.

In 2005, he helped London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympics. Here he is pictured with then British Prime Minister Tony Blair (L) and his wife Cherie Blair.

Beckham played a high-profile role in London's opening ceremony, driving a speedboat carrying the Olympic torch under Tower Bridge and down to the Stratford host venue near where he grew up.

Beckham was less successful as a member of England's bid team for the 2018 World Cup. He is pictured here with fellow ambassadors Prince William and UK Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010 ahead of the controversial vote in which Russia won the right to stage soccer's showpiece event.

Beckham now promotes a niche single-grain whiskey and is the face of the Las Vegas Sands chain, which runs casinos in Singapore and Macau among its resort ventures.

So what's next for Becks?

David Beckham: Happy 40th birthday, 'Golden Balls'

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More than a figurehead

Beckham has swapped the boot room for the boardroom and is clearly more than just a figurehead for his Miami franchise. He speaks in measured tones about the extensive work that’s been required, because, as he puts it, “I am very hands on in everything that I do.”

While he immediately rules out any ambitions to manage the team, Beckham clarifies he’ll “be picking the manager. I’ll be picking the coaches and the staff, but my experience comes from the last twenty-five years of being with some of the biggest clubs, being managed by some of the best managers, and playing with some of the best players in the game.”

When pushed further, Beckham reveals that a blend of international and home-grown talent will be combined to try and bring success to a city which hasn’t had MLS representation since the Miami Fusion were drafted in 1998, but cut from the league just four years later.

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“We want to bring great players in from Europe,” Beckham explains. “But more importantly for us, we’ve already said that we want to build a state of the art academy that brings the hotbed of talent of young kids that we have that run through this city into this team and there is a real opportunity there. If we provide the facilities, then we have a good chance.”

All that said, a certain Lionel Messi congratulated Beckham on Instagram, pointing out that, “in a few years maybe you will give me a call.”

Beckham’s savvy approach has not gone unnoticed by the man who originally articulated his vision to bring the Englishman over to LA Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2007: MLS Commissioner Don Garber. Though there have been bumps in the road in making MLS in Miami happen for a second time, the main man of MLS has been taken aback by Beckham’s business acumen.

“People would be shocked,” Garber tells CNN. “David has dug in to all of our operating manuals and all of our ownership agreements…David didn’t want to be at the board table, and in the ownership partnership, and not have the same level of knowledge. For days and days on end, he sat in a conference room and poured over documents and he’s been very diligent.”

At times, Garber speaks with what seems like a paternal pride about his newest owner, reflecting on the qualities that Beckham has exuded in his presence. “He’s a very special guy,” Garber says.

“There’s something so deeply authentic and humble about him that, combined with his great sporting credentials, and with this just enormous and professional focus and passion, he’s been the driver of it. He was granted the right to have a team when he came in in 2007, and it took 11 years from the time he started until today.”

And so, with the latest chapter in the book of Beckham now written, future pages will be centering around Miami. “I’m just excited to be in this league and in this city,” he affirms, noting that “being on the stage today and being awarded the franchise officially by Don, the Commissioner, having my partners and owners up on the stage, having our family in the audience, and having the fans—it’s real and it’s happening.”

Indeed it is. And when Beckham concludes that “I’m going to be spending a lot of time in Miami and a lot of time making this dream a reality,” you can’t help but think that this part of the world should be expecting even more face time from him.