Beckham backs Messi for Ballon d'Or after 100th Miami goal
Lionel Messi deserves to win a ninth Ballon d'Or after guiding Argentina to the World Cup final and scoring his 100th Inter Miami goal, says former England captain David Beckham.
Inter Miami co-owner and former England captain David Beckham believes Lionel Messi deserves to win this year's Ballon d'Or. The 39-year-old Argentine, who has won the prestigious award eight times and is on the 30-player shortlist for 2026, scored his 100th goal for Miami in a 2-0 victory over Cruz Azul. Beckham praised Messi's World Cup performances and his continued excellence in MLS, stating, "He deserves to be considered for the Ballon d'Or.
In my opinion, he should win it." Messi helped Argentina reach the 2026 World Cup final, where they lost to Spain, and has scored 21 goals in World Cups, second only to Kylian Mbappe's 22. Other Ballon d'Or nominees include Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, and Declan Rice, who are all England players.
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