Beckham's comments come after Messi won the 49th trophy of his career with Inter Miami in the Campeones Cup. The 39-year-old Argentinian scored and assisted in the 2-0 victory, which earned him the award. Beckham, who is the owner of Inter Miami, was present at the training sessions and praised Messi's performance, saying he is the reason he attends the training sessions every day.
Beckham believes Messi's recent performances, including his impressive World Cup campaign, make him a deserving candidate for the Ballon d'Or award. "He was probably the best player in the tournament, he had a great year last year, he went to the World Cup at 39 and had such an influence on World Cup matches, that's special," Beckham said. "No one at 39 does that on that level. He deserves to be a contender for the Ballon d'Or and in my eyes, he should win it."