{
  "id": 8129095,
  "title": "Becham backs Messi for Ballon d’Or after 100th Miami goal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/becham-backs-messi-for-ballon-dor-after-100th-miami-goal",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-17T23:24:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/becham-backs-messi-for-ballon-dor-after-100th-miami-goal/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Inter Miami co-owner and former England captain David Beckham believes Lionel Messi is the deserving candidate for this year's Ballon d'Or. The 39-year-old Argentinian, who has won the award eight times, scored his 100th goal for Miami and provided an assist for Casemiro to score the second goal in a 2-0 victory over Cruz Azul. Beckham stated that Messi's World Cup achievements and consistent high-level performance set him apart, justifying his consideration for the prestigious award. Messi's 100th goal solidified Argentina's win in the Campeones Cup and helped the team reach the 2026 World Cup final, where they were beaten by Spain. Messi's career assists tally now stands at 12 in World Cups, with 10 of those coming in knockout rounds. No other player on record has achieved more than eight assists in total. He is now the second-highest goalscorer in World Cup history, with 21 goals, behind France's Kylian Mbappe. Ballon d'Or nominees include Harry Kane from Bayern Munich, Jude Bellingham from Real Madrid, and Declan Rice from Arsenal, alongside Messi. The award, established in 1956 by France Football, will be announced on October 26th in London.",
  "summary": "Lionel Messi deserves to win this year's Ballon d'Or, according to Inter Miami co-owner and former England captain David Beckham.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}