“It’s Possible”: Ex-Real Madrid Star Backs Lionel Messi To Win 2026 Ballon d’Or, Snubs Kylian Mbappe
- Inter Miami's Casemiro openly backed his teammate Lionel Messi for the 2026 Ballon d'Or after their Campeones Cup victory over Cruz Azul
- Messi scored his 100th goal for Inter Miami in the 2-0 win, with Casemiro netting the second from a Messi corner assist
- Casemiro criticised Ballon d'Or voting criteria for overlooking football in the Americas while pushing for the World Cup to be a key factor
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Inter Miami midfielder Casemiro has publicly backed his captain Lionel Messi to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or while also criticising the award's voting criteria for ignoring football played outside Europe.
The Brazilian made his comments following Inter Miami's 2-0 victory over Cruz Azul in the Campeones Cup on Wednesday, July 23, 2026, the annual fixture between the champions of Major League Soccer and Mexico's Liga MX.
Source: Getty Images
It was Inter Miami's first-ever Campeones Cup triumph.
Messi hits 100-goal milestone
The win was defined by Messi, who scored his 100th goal for the club and set up the second with a corner that Casemiro headed home.
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At 39, the Argentine superstar claimed his first trophy of 2026, following Argentina's heartbreak in the World Cup final, where Spain defeated them to lift the title two months earlier.
According to Tribuna, Casemiro, who benefited directly from Messi's vision to score the clinching goal, left no ambiguity about how he views his teammate.
"He's still the best. He proved it at the World Cup and keeps showing it in MLS. With him, everything is much easier," the former Real Madrid star said.
Casemiro backs Messi for Ballon d'Or
Asked whether Messi could win the 2026 Ballon d'Or, Casemiro was careful but encouraging.
"We know that with him it's possible and he proved it at the World Cup. But it's not my place to say. When you play with a teammate, you always want him to win, but that's up to the people voting," Casemiro was quoted by Sportskeeda.
The Brazilian midfielder then turned his attention to what he sees as a structural problem with the award, arguing that voters routinely favour players competing in European leagues over those performing in the Americas.
"The award is given to those playing in European football, what happens in America is ignored," Casemiro said, though he believes Messi has the quality to overcome that bias and "steal it."
Who are the 2026 Ballon d'Or contenders?
The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled for Monday, October 26, 2026, at the London Palladium Theatre in London, England.
The leading candidates in the men's category include Messi, Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, and Kylian Mbappe.
Whether Messi's World Cup performance and ongoing form in MLS will be enough to sway voters remains the central question heading into what promises to be a closely contested edition of the award.
Diego Simeone backs Messi for Ballon d'Or
In a related development, Legit.ng reported about Messi’s 17th Ballon d’Or nomination and the 30-man shortlist for the 2026 award.
Messi is now just one nomination away from matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time record of 18. His journey began in 2006, making his two-decade presence among football’s elite one of the award’s most remarkable stories.
Source: Legit.ng
