David Beckham did not wait for a more appropriate stage. Minutes after Lionel Messi scored his 100th goal for Inter Miami in a 2-0 Campeones Cup win over Cruz Azul at Nu Stadium on Wednesday, the club's co-owner used the moment to argue his captain should win a record-extending ninth Ballon d'Or.

“I think when you see him do things like this tonight, when you see him have the World Cup that he's had, it's not luck that he's being considered for the Ballon d'Or again,” Beckham said on Apple TV. “It's not luck because he was probably the best player in the tournament. He had an incredible year last year.”

Beckham's argument rests heavily on what Messi did at 39. The Argentine posted eight goals and four assists in eight games at the 2026 World Cup, carrying Argentina to a final they lost 1-0 to Spain in extra time. “He came into that tournament in the World Cup, and, 39 years old, to affect a World Cup and every game the way he did,” Beckham said.

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The club numbers hold up too. Messi registered 43 goals and 26 assists across 49 games in 2025 while winning the MLS Cup, and he leads MLS again this season with 19 goals and 13 assists as he chases a third consecutive MVP award. He is also the only active MLS player on the 30-man shortlist France Football announced on Sept. 8, joining Beckham himself as the only players ever nominated while rostered in the league.

Beckham's admiration went beyond the trophy case. “I still can't believe we have him here in Miami playing for our team,” he said. “That's why I go to training every day and watch him, and that's why I turn up and watch him every time possible, because we all want to see Leo play forever, in all honesty.”

The 100th goal came in the 24th minute on a header, with Casemiro sealing the win nine minutes from time. Wednesday's trophy was Messi's first of the calendar year, and he faces a field including Rodri, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane when the ceremony takes place in London on Oct. 26.