De paul, Casemiro back Messi for ninth Ballon d'Or
Rodrigo De Paul and Casemiro have both thrown their weight behind Lionel Messi's case for a ninth Ballon d'Or, dismissing the ongoing debate around Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal following Inter Miami's Campeones Cup triumph.
De Paul pointed to Messi's performances at this year's World Cup as decisive, where the 39 year old scored eight goals and provided four assists across eight matches to help Argentina reach the final.
"For me, there is no room for debate on this matter. No one has ever achieved such a feat at the World Cup. And Leo did it at thirty nine years of age," he said.
He went further in praising Messi's standing across different generations of the sport.
"He has competed against the strongest players across different eras, and became the best player at the World Cup. There is no room for doubt about that," he said.
Messi added another achievement to his résumé on Wednesday, lifting the 49th trophy of his career after Inter Miami beat Cruz Azul 2-0 in the Campeones Cup final.
He opened the scoring with a header before setting up Casemiro for the second, sealing the club's first ever title in the competition.
Casemiro, who scored the decisive second goal, was equally direct in his praise afterwards, describing Messi as still the standout performer in world football.
"He is still the best. He proved it at the World Cup and he keeps doing it in MLS. With him, everything is much easier," he said.
The former Real Madrid midfielder also raised concerns that Messi's move away from European football could work against him in the voting, given how Ballon d'Or recognition has traditionally favoured players based on the continent.
"They give it to those who are in European football, what happens in America is ignored, but Messi can steal it," he said.
Casemiro urged voters not to overlook what Messi had achieved on the sport's biggest stage this year, framing his continued presence in the game as something to be appreciated while it lasts.
"All I wish for him is the best of luck. But people should see what he did at the World Cup, which is very important. We have to enjoy him because we don't know how much longer we're going to have him," he said.
Messi was named among the 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or on September 8, continuing to perform at an elite level despite his advancing years.
He guided Inter Miami to their first ever MLS Cup title in December, finishing the season with 43 goals and 26 assists across 49 appearances in all competitions.
The winner of this year's award will be announced on October 26.