Posted by Chinenye on Thu 17th Sep, 2026 - tori.ng
David Beckham believes Lionel Messi deserves the 2026 Ballon dOr after another impressive season at Inter Miami.
(Lionel Messi poses with David Beckham. Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)
Lionel Messi has reached 100 goals for Inter Miami, and David Beckham believes the Argentine deserves the 2026 Ballon d'Or for his performances at his age.
Messi scored Wednesday in Miami's 2-0 victory over Cruz Azul in the Campeones Cup, with the win also securing the club's first title in the competition.
Messi opened the scoring with a header in the 24th minute before setting up Casemiro's second goal from a corner.
At 39 years old, the forward continues operating at elite level, something Beckham highlighted as exceptional when discussing his credentials for the prestigious individual award.
Speaking after the match, Beckham said few players anywhere in the world maintain such a high standard at Messi's age.
He backed him to win the Ballon d'Or over other nominees including Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.
Messi is among 30 players nominated for this year's award, having won it eight times previously.
His World Cup performance earlier this year included eight goals and four assists as Argentina reached the final before losing to Spain.
He also set a World Cup record with 12 assists in the tournament, 10 of which came in knockout matches.
The Argentine sits second on the all-time World Cup goalscorers list with 21 goals, behind France forward Mbappe who has 22.
The Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place in London on October 26.