Beckham backs Messi for Ballon d’Or after netting 100th Inter Miami goal

Former England captain David Beckham backs his Inter Miami player Lionel Messi for Ballon d’Or after Campeones Cup win.Lionel Messi has been backed for a record ninth Ballon d’Or by former England captain David Beckham, weeks after the Argentinian icon announced his international retirement.The 39-year-old scored his 100th goal for Inter Miami, co-owned by Beckham, on Wednesday as the Florida-based side won the Campeones Cup by beating Cruz Azul 2-0 in the annual clash between Major League Soccer and Mexican Liga MX champions.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Manchester United lose 3-2 to Brighton, crash out of League Cuplist 2 of 4Alex Eala firm on Asian Games participation despite threat of WTA finelist 3 of 4Manchester derby VAR error caused by ‘tunnel vision’: Pro Ref chief Webblist 4 of 4Record-breaking Rumesh’s javelins broken during travel ahead of Asian Gamesend of listIt was Inter Miami’s first Campeones Cup triumph and was sealed for the reigning MLS Cup winners by a late Messi corner that was headed home by Casemiro to seal the win.Victory marked Messi’s first trophy of the year, two months after the heartbreak of losing the FIFA World Cup 2026 final to Spain with Argentina.After the game, Beckham, who played for both Manchester United and Real Madrid before joining MLS side LA Galaxy, led the praise for Messi.“When you see him do things like this tonight, when you see him have the World Cup that he’s had … there is no one at 39 that’s doing that, and doing it at that level,” said Beckham.“So he deserves to be considered for the Ballon d’Or. In my opinion, he should win it.”Brazil international Casemiro, who joined Inter Miami from Manchester United in the summer, also paid tribute to his illustrious teammate Messi.“We have to enjoy this because we don’t know how long we’ll have it,” Casemiro said.“What he has done and continues to do for football is incredible … he remains the best. He proved it at the World Cup and continues to prove it in MLS.”Inter Miami’s co-owners David Beckham, third from right, Jorge Mas, second right, and Jose Mas, right, cheer as Argentinian forward Lionel Messi collects his medal after their team defeated Mexico’s Cruz Azul in the Campeones Cup final [Chandan Khanna/AFP]Cruz Azul had the game’s first big chance, Jose Paradela’s shot saved at the near post by Miami goalkeeper Dayne St Clair.