Football Royalty: Beckham Endorses Messi For Ballon d'Or After Campeones Cup Triumph

Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham has emphatically stated that Lionel Messi deserves to be considered for, and ultimately win, this year's Ballon d'Or award. Beckham's comments came after Messi, at 39 years old, scored his 100th goal for Inter Miami in a crucial 2-0 Campeones Cup victory over Cruz Azul on Thursday.

The milestone goal for Messi occurred in the 24th minute at Nu Stadium, where he scored with a header following a cross from teammate Luis Suarez. Messi later had another goal disallowed for offside. He then played a pivotal role in Miami's second goal, delivering the corner kick from which former Real Madrid and Manchester United midfielder Casemiro headed in the 81st minute. This victory marked Inter Miami's first-ever Campeones Cup, the annual match contested between the U.S. and Mexican cup winners.

Beckham, a former England captain, lauded Messi's continued exceptional performance: "When you see him do things like this, when you see him have the World Cup that he’s had, there is no one at 39 that’s doing that, and doing it at that level. He deserves to be considered for the Ballon d’Or. In my opinion, he should win it."

Messi, already an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, is included in the 30-player shortlist for the 2026 award. His recent World Cup performance saw him score eight goals and register four assists as Argentina reached the 2026 World Cup final, where they were beaten by Spain. Throughout his World Cup career, Messi's assist tally stands at 12, with 10 of those coming in knockout rounds, and his 21 World Cup goals place him second only to Kylian Mbappe's 22.

The prestigious shortlist features several other prominent players, including England's Harry Kane, who is considered the favourite, alongside Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice. Spain's Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres are also nominated, as is Ousmane Dembele, last year's winner from PSG. PSG notably has nine nominees, excluding their new signing Torres, while Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, and Arsenal's Gabriel and William Saliba also made the list. The winner of the Ballon d'Or will be announced in London on October 26.

Messi's significant goal for Inter Miami follows recent personal announcements, including his decision in August to retire from international football and his consideration of his future after the death of his father, Jorge. Casemiro further praised Messi's enduring impact, stating, "What he has done and continues to do for football is incredible. He remains the best. He proved it at the World Cup and continues to prove it in MLS."