Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
David Beckham believes Lionel Messi’s “incredible” World Cup campaign with Argentina should be recognised as worthy enough to win a ninth Ballon d’Or.
Messi made history at this summer’s World Cup, becoming only the second player, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, to play in six separate editions of FIFA’s flagship competition.
He scored eight goals and provided four assists as Argentina reached back-to-back World Cup finals, only to lose to Spain 1-0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium.
Messi (21) also surpassed Miroslav Klose’s record for the most goals scored in World Cup history, though Kylian Mbappe (22) now holds the title after netting 10 times for France.
The Argentina captain became just the second player to play in three men’s World Cup finals (also 2014 and 2022), after Brazil’s Cafu (1994, 1998, 2002).
At 39 years and 25 days, he is also the second-oldest ever World Cup finalist after Italy’s Dino Zoff in 1982 (40y 133d), and he was nominated for the Ballon d’Or for the first time since 2023, the last time he won the award when he was at Inter Miami.
Messi netted his 100th goal for Miami in their Campeones Cup victory over Cruz Azul on Wednesday, also getting an assist to lead them to a 2-0 victory.
He hit that landmark in his 115th game for the Herons, and clinched the 48th title of his career for club and country.
Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, Real Madrid’s Mbappe and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal are among the favourites, though Beckham believes Messi is worthy of winning the award.
“I think when you see him do things like this, when you see him have the World Cup that he had, it’s not luck that he’s being considered for the Ballon d’Or again,” Beckham told Apple TV.
“It’s not luck because he was probably the best player in the tournament. He had an incredible year last year.
“He came into that tournament in the World Cup, and, like you’ve just said, 39 years old, to affect a World Cup and every game the way he did. That’s special.
“There’s no one at 39 that’s doing that and doing it at that level. So he deserves to be considered for the Ballon d’Or. He, in my opinion, should win it.
“You’ve got great players there, like Harry Kane, like Kylian [Mbappe], Jude Bellingham and other players, but you know when you’re talking about Leo, I’m his biggest supporter.”
100 veces nos levantamos del asiento.
100 veces nos abrazamos. 100 veces Leo. pic.twitter.com/6CnSILXAFT
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 17, 2026
No player from Europe’s top five leagues scored more goals across all competitions than Kane’s 64 in 2025-26 (including the Club World Cup), while he also lifted the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal trophies with Bayern Munich.
He also netted six goals at the World Cup, marking only the third time an England player had scored six goals in a major tournament, after Gary Lineker (1986) and Kane himself in 2018, although team-mate Jude Bellingham subsequently went one better with seven goals in the competition as the Three Lions finished third.
Yamal, meanwhile, won LaLiga with Barcelona and scored 16 goals in the league, the joint-fourth-highest tally in the division. His 225 completed dribbles were also more than any other player across Europe’s top five leagues.
Mbappe registered 43 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions for Madrid last season but was unable to lift any silverware, something that could go against him.
The Frenchman’s 14 goal involvements (10 goals, four assists) at this year’s World Cup are also the most in a single edition of the tournament on record (since 1966).
However, Messi’s Miami team-mate, Casemiro, backed Beckham in his support for the Argentine, telling Apple TV: “He’s still the best. He proved it at the World Cup, and he’s still proving it in the MLS.”
Asked about Messi’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or, Casemiro replied: “We know it’s possible with him, and he proved it at the World Cup. But it’s not up to me to talk.
“When you play with a team-mate, you always want them to win, but that’s up to the people to decide in the voting. All I wish is the best of luck.
“But I want people to see what he did at the World Cup, which is very important.”
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