Atletico Madrid manager, Diego Simeone, has said Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi deserves to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
According to Simeone, Messi’s outing at this year’s World Cup is enough to hand him the award.
“The 2026 Ballon d’Or has to be Leo Messi. Zero doubts,” Simeone said.
“With the World Cup he had at that age… no doubts.”
Messi failed to win consecutive World Cups with Argentina this summer, as they lost 1-0 to Spain in the final.
But he scored eight goals and provided two assist in total at the tournament.
The 39-year-old has already won the Ballon d’Or a record eight times during his illustrious career. But he is not widely regarded as a top contender for the prize this year, with players like Kylian Mbappe, Rodri, Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane considered ahead of him.