English Football legend David Beckham has canvassed support for Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or ahead of his compatriot Harry Kane.
The Argentine great recently quit international football after a disappointing World Cup final which saw them lose the trophy to Spain after a 1-0 victory. His international retirement is also not unconnected to the death of his father.
In Inter Miami’s 2-0 victory over Cruz Azul, Messi scored his 100th goal which gave Inter their first Campeones Cup.
GOOOOAL! Messi’s 100th comes in a final. 🤯💯 pic.twitter.com/mpY4Jhrj1c
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 17, 2026
The co-owner of Inter Miami believes the Argentine deserves to win the Ballon d’Or in London next month.
“I still can’t believe we have him in Miami playing for our team,” Beckham told Major League Soccer.
“That’s why I go to training every day and watch him and turn up to watch him every time possible, because we want to see Leo play football forever.
“When you see him do things like tonight, and you see him have the World Cup he’s had, it’s not luck that he’s being considered for the Ballon d’Or again.
“It’s not luck. He was probably the best player in the tournament; he had an incredible year last year.
“At 39 years old, to affect the World Cup in every game the way he did, that’s special. There’s no one at 39 who is doing this at that level.
“He deserves to be considered for the Ballon d’Or. In my opinion, he should win it.
“You have great players in there, like Harry Kane, Kylian [Mbappe] and Jude Bellingham, and other players. But when talking about Leo, I’m his biggest supporter.”
De Paul Joins the Chorus of Praise
Compatriot Rodrigo de Paul also spoke glowingly of the veteran forward.
“It’s become a normality [for Messi] but it isn’t,” De Paul said. “We have to enjoy him, admire him, see him with the love that he plays each game.
“Luckily, I’ve had him by my side for many years. I try to enjoy him to the maximum.”
The Competition: Kane, Mbappe, Rodri and Yamal
Messi faces stiff competition from England international, Harry Kane, France captain, Kylian Mbappe, Spanish midfielder, Rodri and Lamine Yamal.
Though the Bayern Munich striker Kane is the favorite of many bookmakers given his 73 goals for club and country.
Another favorite in some quarters is Kylian Mbappe who became the all-time leading scorer at the last World Cup in North America.
Then, Lamine Yamal won the Spanish La Liga and the World Cup with Spain though his contribution to that triumph was seen in some quarters as little with 1 goal and no assists in 6 games.
