Will Smith and David Beckham were pictured hanging out before Lionel Messi and Inter Miami opened the new MLS season on Wednesday night.

The Oscar-winning actor, 55, was pictured chatting to Miami co-owner and president Beckham before kickoff against Real Salt Lake in Florida.

Smith, who’s endured a quiet two-year stretch in his Hollywood career after he controversially slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, embraced the soccer icon for a picture.

He also hugged Messi as the Argentine star ran back to the locker room at halftime.

Smith and Beckham are long-term friends and the Englishman recently shed light on the star-studded welcome party Smith and Tom Cruise threw for him when he first moved to Los Angeles in 2007.

During his hit Netflix documentary BECKHAM, director Fisher Stevens asked the former England soccer captain: ‘Did you have friends in LA?’

David replied: ‘The funny thing was, I was friends with Tom Cruise. I remember Tom turning round and saying, “me and Will are gonna throw you a party.” I was like “Will?” and he said “Will Smith”.

Several Hollywood stars attended the bash including Tom’s wife Katie Holmes, Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith and actor Jim Carrey.

Recalling the bash, David’s close friend David Gardner said: ‘It was like being in Madame Tussauds, everywhere you looked there was a famous person.’

He added: ‘The next minute the piano starts going and Stevie Wonder startings singing him happy birthday. And I was like “f**k this, he’s gone, we’ve lost him.”‘

The party was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, with Tom clearing the dancefloor to recreate the choreography from his 1983 film Risky Business.

The Manchester United and England great flew to Florida for the season opener and will have liked what he saw from his team in Wednesday’s 2-0 win.

Messi put in a man-of-the-match display, producing some outrageous footwork, seeing a free-kick cleared off the line and hitting the bar directly from a corner before setting up Robert Taylor’s opener.

Tom Cruise (left) and Smith (right) threw Beckham a lavish party when he first moved to LA

Smith was in attendance to watch Lionel Messi and Inter Miami kickoff the new MLS season

The 36-year-old received a half-time hug from Will Smith – one of the stars in attendance at upgraded Chase Stadium – and continued to play with an irresistible swagger.

While Miami lost their way as a team after their dominant first half, they dug deep and eventually killed off vastly improved RSL.

Messi showed brilliant strength, speed and close control to drive forward through the middle before playing in Luis Suarez, who set up Diego Gomez to score in the 83rd minute.

That moment gave Miami new life and the former Liverpool striker saw a debut goal brilliantly denied by Zac MacMath, who was guilty of allowing Taylor’s first-half strike to squirm past him.

Salt Lake’s goalkeeper also thwarted Messi at the end of an incredible run down the right as the hosts ended a challenging second half on a high.

In truth, the only person able to keep up with the Argentina skipper on Wednesday was his personal bodyguard, who went up and down the touchline tracking the star throughout the game.