2026 Ballon d’Or: Messi does not deserve award – Ally McCoist
Former Rangers striker Ally McCoist has said that Inter Miami captain, Lionel Messi, does not merit winning the 2026 Ballon d’Or, following the Argentine legend’s nomination for the accolade. Messi has won the esteemed Ballon d’Or award a record eight times throughout his career. Now, at the age of 39, he finds himself on a […] 2026 Ballon d’Or: Messi does not deserve award – Ally McCoist
Former Rangers player Ally McCoist has declared that Inter Miami star Lionel Messi does not deserve to be awarded the 2026 Ballon d’Or following his nomination. The Argentine, who has won the prestigious award a record eight times in his career, now finds himself on a 30-man shortlist for the 2026 honor. At 39 years old, Messi led Argentina to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, where they lost to Spain.
He scored eight goals and provided four assists during the tournament. Messi has also been performing impressively with Inter Miami, where he shares the MLS Golden Boot with FC Dallas’ Petar Musa.
When asked about Messi’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or, McCoist dismissed the idea vehemently. During his appearance on talkSPORT’s Breakfast show, he stated, “That has angered me. There is no way on this earth. He (Messi) does not deserve it. It is for the player of the year; it is the Ballon d’Or, which he was not. He has been, but he was not this year.”
When asked to name his choice for the winner if it were not Messi, McCoist opted for English and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, acknowledging Mbappé’s goal-scoring at Real Madrid and his World Cup performance. However, McCoist firmly disagreed with the notion that one cannot win the award without securing the Champions League or having an outstanding World Cup.
The winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or will be revealed on October 26 in London during the ceremony.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Post Nigeria's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
