Lionel Messi is set to win the MLS MVP award for the 2024 season.
That may not shock most people since the GOAT excelled, and Inter Miami won its first MLS Supporters Shield ever. Messi led the Herons to the Leagues Cup in his debut season last term and will be on a mission to secure the MLS Cup title this season.
However, upon closer inspection, the GOAT only played 18 games for the Herons in this campaign. An ankle injury in the Copa America final left him out most of the MLS season. Yet, Messi still leads the league in goals and assists on a 90-minute game average. He currently sits with 17 strikes and six assists with one game remaining.
Does Messi deserve the MLS MVP?
There are a total of 34 games in the MLS season. Messi played just more than half of them, with 1.73 contributions per game. For the record, that’s on par with the otherwordly 73-goal season in the 2011-12 season at Barcelona. He subsequently won his 4th Ballon d’Or that season.
You see where we’re getting at. Messi, when healthy, is a stat machine even if Miami wins without him. His spirit is there, alive and well, on and off on the pitch.
The 37-year-old is also showing no signs of slowing down. On Tuesday, he scored a hat-trick in a World Cup qualifier for reigning World Cup champions Argentina against Bolivia. He’s the team’s all-time leading goalscorer with 112 goals in 189 appearances.
On Thursday, one of Spain’s leading sports media outlets, Marca, awarded Messi the first-ever 2024 MARCA America Lifetime Achievement award.
While we can assure you Messi won’t be taking home the Ballon d’Or this season, we feel like the MLS MVP is his to lose.
