David Beckham believes that Lionel Messi deserves to win the nineth Ballon d'Or after his impressive performance at the 2026 World Cup and his 100th goal for Inter Miami.
Messi contributed to helping Inter Miami defeat Cruz Azul to win the Campeones Cup. The Argentine striker opened the score in the 24th minute after Luis Suarez's pass, thereby reaching the milestone of 100 goals after 115 appearances in all competitions for the US team.
After the match, Beckham praised Messi a lot and said that he deserved to surpass candidates like Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe or Jude Bellingham to win the prestigious individual award.
I still can't believe that Messi is in Miami and playing for our team. That's why I go to the training ground every day and try to watch him play whenever possible. We just want Messi to continue playing football as long as possible" - Beckham said.
The former England international was particularly impressed with Messi's performance at the 2026 World Cup. According to Beckham, it is very special that a 39-year-old player can still have an influence in the world's biggest arena.
When you see him do things like tonight, and look at such a great World Cup, it is not lucky that he is considered for the Ballon d'Or once again. He is probably the best player of the tournament and has had an incredible playing year.
At the age of 39, it is special that he can influence the World Cup in every match like that. Not many players at that age can do this at the highest level. He deserves to be considered for the Ballon d'Or. In my opinion, he should win this award" - Beckham shared.
Messi scored 8 goals and had 4 assists at the 2026 World Cup, leading Argentina to the final before losing to Spain. El Pulga also held the record for scoring the most goals in World Cup history before Kylian Mbappe surpassed this achievement in the third-place match.
The victory over Cruz Azul brought Inter Miami another title since Messi joined the club. This team previously won Leagues Cup 2023, Supporters' Shield 2024 and MLS Cup 2025.
In the Campeones Cup final, Casemiro doubled the gap for Inter Miami in the 81st minute with a header from a corner kick taken by Messi.
Inter Miami will return to MLS this weekend when they host San Diego FC at home. They are currently ranked second in the Eastern Conference standings.
