{
  "id": 7970691,
  "title": "David Beckham explains why Lionel Messi deserves to win Ballon d’Or over Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/david-beckham-explains-why-lionel-messi-deserves-to-win-ballon-dor",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-17T06:55:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/david-beckham-explains-why-lionel-065508566.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sir David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami CF, has expressed his belief that Lionel Messi deserves to win the Ballon d’Or for a ninth time after scoring his 100th goal for the team in Inter Miami's recent victory over Cruz Azul. Messi's impressive performance in the Campeones Cup, where he helped his team win the trophy, has further cemented his status as one of the greatest footballers of all time. Beckham praised Messi's impact on and off the field, noting that the Argentine's age and continued ability to perform at the highest level set him apart from his contemporaries. While other talented players like Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Jude Bellingham are also deserving of recognition, Beckham firmly believes that Messi should take home the prestigious individual prize.",
  "summary": "After inspiring Inter Miami past Cruz Azul to land the Campeones Cup, Messi has been tipped to beat Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe for football’s top individual honour",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "🎥 Messi hits 100 goals for Inter Miami!",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/messi-hits-100-goals-for-inter-miami",
        "published": "2026-09-17T00:38:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Lionel Messi scores 100th Inter Miami goal in Campenones Cup final win",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/lionel-messi-scores-100th-inter-miami-goal-in-campenones-cup-final-win",
        "published": "2026-09-17T04:24:36.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}