'No one does what he does at 39': Beckham wants Messi to win Ballon d'Or
David Beckham has thrown his support behind Lionel Messi to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or, insisting no other player at his age comes close to matching his level following Inter Miami's Campeones Cup triumph.
Messi scored his landmark 100th goal for the club and set up the winner as Inter Miami beat Cruz Azul 2-0 early Thursday, to claim their first ever Campeones Cup title in new head coach Cristian Kily Gonzalez's debut match in charge.
Speaking to the BBC after the win, Beckham pointed to the combination of Messi's age and continued influence as reason enough to back him for the individual honour.
"When you see him do things like this, and when you see what he produced at the World Cup, there is no player aged 39 who does that and delivers at this level," he said.
"He deserves to be among the candidates for the Ballon d'Or, and in my opinion, he should win it," Beckham added, placing Messi ahead of fellow nominees including Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham in his own estimation.
Gonzalez, whose first game in charge could hardly have gone better, echoed Beckham's sentiments in his own post match remarks.
"No one else is like him, I have no doubt that the Ballon d'Or has to go to him. At his age, the World Cup he had, what he represents for everyone, not only in footballing terms but also in life values, it would only be fair for him to win it," he said.
The new coach also revealed a personal exchange with Messi before kick off that added weight to the occasion.
"Messi told me he was going to make me come out a champion, and he delivered. Defensively we were very good. I have no words for what I'm feeling. It's joy, happiness, so many emotions all together," he said.
Messi's own World Cup campaign with Argentina underpinned much of the praise, having scored eight goals and provided four assists as his country reached the final in July, only to lose out to Spain.
His overall tournament tally of 21 goals leaves him second on the all time World Cup scoring list, one behind France's Mbappe on 22.
His assist numbers proved equally striking, taking his World Cup career total to 12, including 10 specifically during knockout stage matches, a record unmatched by any player in the tournament's history, with the next closest total sitting at eight.
Against Cruz Azul, Messi opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a rare headed finish, converting a cross from Luis Suarez to put Inter Miami ahead.
He appeared to have doubled the lead shortly after when he went through one on one and slotted home, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
He was heavily involved again for the decisive second goal, delivering the corner that Casemiro met with a header in the 81st minute to seal both the win and Inter Miami's first Campeones Cup title in the club's history.
Beckham, reflecting on Messi's continued presence at the club, described the experience as something he still struggles to fully take in.
"I still can't believe that we have him here, in Miami, playing for our team. That's why I go to training every day and watch him, and that's why I try to see him whenever I can, because, to be honest, we all want to watch Leo play forever," he said.
Messi is among the 30 nominees shortlisted for this year's Ballon d'Or, having already won the award a record eight times during his career.
The ceremony itself is scheduled to take place in London on October 26, where his latest candidacy will be formally decided.