Messi Should Win 2026 Ballon d’Or – Beckham

Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham has backed Lionel Messi to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or after the Argentine reached 100 goals for the Major League Soccer club.

Messi achieved the milestone on Wednesday as Inter Miami defeated Cruz Azul 2-0 to win the Campeones Cup for the first time.

The Argentine opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a rare header before providing the corner that led to Casemiro’s second-half goal.

The victory secured Miami’s first Campeones Cup title and made Messi the first player to score 100 goals for the club.

Speaking after the match, Beckham said Messi’s performances at the 2026 World Cup, coupled with his continued form at the age of 39, made him a strong contender for the individual award.

“When you see him do things like this, when you see him have the World Cup that he’s had, it’s not luck, that’s special. There is no one at 39 that’s doing that, and doing it at that level.

READ ALSO: Argentina Set for First Friendlies Without Messi

“He deserves to be considered for the Ballon d’Or. In my opinion, he should win it,” Beckham said.

Messi is among the 30 nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or, an award he has won eight times.

He enjoyed an impressive World Cup campaign with eight goals and four assists as Argentina reached the final, where they were defeated by Spain.

The tournament also took Messi’s World Cup assist tally to 12, including 10 in knockout-stage matches.

With 21 World Cup goals, Messi is second on the competition’s all-time scoring list, behind France forward Kylian Mbappe, who has 22.

Beckham, a former England captain, said Messi’s ability to continue performing at the highest level at 39 was particularly significant.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder also mentioned other Ballon d’Or nominees, including Harry Kane, Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, as part of the field competing for the award.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to hold in London on October 26.