Beckham's Verdict: Why Messi's 100th Miami Goal Reopens the Ballon d'Or Case at 39

Lionel Messi did not win the World Cup this year, and Argentina did not either. Yet the co-owner of his club says football's biggest individual prize should still be his. David Beckham made the case after Messi's header opened the scoring in a 2-0 Campeones Cup final win over Cruz Azul at Nu Stadium - a goal that also happened to be his 100th for Inter Miami since he joined the club in the summer of 2023.

A hundredth goal, delivered without ceremony

Messi put Miami ahead in the 24th minute, heading in a Luis Suárez cross. He thought he had a second soon after, racing clear and slotting home, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. It did not matter in the end. Messi's corner in the 81st minute found Casemiro, whose header sealed the win and, with it, Inter Miami's first Campeones Cup - the annual match between the US and Mexican cup holders. Half-time score: 1-0. Attendance: 26,495.

Beckham's argument

Beckham did not hedge. He pointed to the World Cup Messi has just had and argued that no one else at 39 is performing at that level. "There is no one at 39 that's doing that, and doing it at that level," he said. He went further still: "He deserves to be considered for the Ballon d'Or. In my opinion, he should win it."

Casemiro, who has played alongside far bigger names than a Campeones Cup opponent, offered a version of the same point after the final whistle. "We have to enjoy this because we don't know how long we'll have it," he said. "What he has done and continues to do for football is incredible. He remains the best."

The shortlist working against him

Beckham's case has to compete with a 30-player shortlist that features six of the Spain players who won the World Cup, plus a heavy Paris St-Germain contingent. Bayern Munich's Harry Kane is the reported favourite. Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham and Arsenal's Declan Rice join him as England's other nominees, while Lamine Yamal features among that Spain group. Paris St-Germain forward Ferran Torres, who scored the winning goal in the final and joined PSG from Barcelona this summer, also makes the cut. PSG have nine other players nominated on top of Torres, including last year's winner Ousmane Dembele, and Real Madrid add Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr to a list that also features Arsenal's Gabriel and William Saliba.

Against that field, Messi's pitch is not a trophy. It is a body of individual work produced by a 39-year-old whose team fell short.

The numbers still standing alone

Messi scored 8 goals and registered 4 assists as Argentina reached the 2026 World Cup final, where Spain beat them. Across his World Cup career he now has 21 goals, a haul bettered only by France's Kylian Mbappe with 22. His career World Cup assist tally now stands at 12, of which 10 have come in knockout rounds - no other player on record has more than 8 in total.

A farewell context

Messi's Wednesday came after a summer that had raised real questions about how much football he had left. He retired from international football in August, and had reportedly been considering his future in the game following the death of his father, Jorge. Set against that backdrop, a 100th Miami goal and a title-clinching assist read as more than a routine landmark.

What London decides

The Ballon d'Or marks its 70th anniversary this year, having been created by France Football in 1956. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on 26 October. Beckham has made his preference plain. Whether the wider voting body agrees - or whether a shortlist that includes six of Spain's World Cup winners settles the argument differently - is now a matter of weeks.

Research: This article uses the archived evidence supplied for this story. Story inspiration: BBC Sport's original report.