Sports
Legendary English player David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami CF and former England captain, believes that Argentine star Lionel Messi deserves to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or. This conviction stems from Messi's continued brilliance for both club and country despite being 39 years old. In remarks reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), following Messi leading Inter Miami to the Campeones Cup title with a 2-0 victory over Mexico's Cruz Azul, Beckham stated: "When you see him do things like this, and when you see the World Cup he had, no 39-year-old player does that and performs at this level. He deserves to be among the Ballon d'Or nominees, and in my opinion, he should win it." Messi's stellar performance in the Campeones Cup included scoring Inter Miami's first goal in the 24th minute with a header from Luis Suárez's pass, then assisting the second goal, scored by Brazilian Casemiro with a header in the 81st minute. This led the team to its first title in the competition, and the goal marked Messi's 100th for Inter Miami. Internationally, Messi delivered a notable performance for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup, scoring eight goals and providing four assists en route to the final, which they lost to Spain. This raised his total World Cup assists to 12, with 10 in the knockout stages (a record). He ranks second in the competition's all-time top scorers with 21 goals, behind France's Kylian Mbappé (22 goals). Regarding the Ballon d'Or shortlist, English striker Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) leads the 30 nominees, alongside compatriots Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) and Declan Rice (Arsenal). The list also features six players from the World Cup-winning Spanish national team, including Paris Saint-Germain forward Ferran Torres, who scored the winning goal in the final. Additionally, nine players from PSG are included, among them Ousmane Dembélé (last year's winner), along with Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Júnior from Real Madrid. The Ballon d'Or winner announcement ceremony is scheduled for October 26 in London, coinciding with the award's 70th anniversary since its establishment in 1956.
