Beckham backs Messi for ninth Ballon d’Or after Inter Miami title

Lionel Messi reached a major milestone and secured another trophy for Inter Miami as the club defeated Cruz Azul 2–0 in the Campeones Cup.

Messi scored with a diving header to register his 100th goal for Inter Miami. Casemiro added the second in the 81st minute, heading in from a Messi corner.

The result gave Inter Miami its first Campeones Cup title in the competition contested by the previous MLS Cup winner and the Liga MX champion. It was also Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez’s first match as the club’s head coach.

Messi appeared to score a second goal early in the second half, but the effort was ruled offside. The victory was Inter Miami’s first trophy of the year, according to Al Jazeera Global News.

Co-owner David Beckham said Messi deserved consideration for the Ballon d’Or and, in his opinion, should win it. Messi has won the award eight times, three more than Cristiano Ronaldo.