Watch: Beckham nearly falls over on his way to welcome Messi to Miami

David Beckham narrowly avoided disaster during his welcoming of Lionel Messi to Inter Miami. The event was delayed and nearly canceled due to torrential downpour and lightning. The weather eventually cleared up to allow Messi’s unveiling to go on, but it left the stage a bit slippery.

Beckham was walking up the ramp on his way to give a welcome speech to Messi when he slipped on the slick floor and nearly fell over. Luckily, Beckham is pretty quick on his feet, and he stuck his arms out to balance himself and keep from toppling over. It definitely slowed him down though as he took careful, slow steps after that, making sure to avoid disaster.

Eventually, the co-owner of Inter Milan was able to make it up to the stage to give a beautiful welcome to Messi to the team.

“Ten years ago, I started my journey to build a new MLS team,” Beckham said. “I said then that I dreamt of bringing the best players in the world to Florida and the great city of Miami. Players who shared our ambition to grow soccer in this country, who would inspire the next generation and help build a legacy in this sport.”

“Please forgive me for feeling a little bit emotional tonight. It really is a dream come true to welcome Lionel Messi to Inter Miami.”