Inter Miami are on course to enjoy a record-breaking year in MLS, a feat made that more incredible considering how much of the season Lionel Messi has missed.
The Herons captain has played just 12 league games this year for the Florida franchise with injuries and international commitments eating up how much Messi has actually been available this season for Inter Miami.
As a result, the entire squad has had to put in extra work to get Inter Miami to where they are now, with Luis Suarez enjoying a record-breaking year under Tata Martino as the Chase Stadium side look set to win the Supporters’ Shield.
Yet MLS expert Matt Doyle thinks one other Inter Miami player has been better than Messi and Suarez.
Sergio Busquets named Inter Miami’s MVP for this year
Speaking on Extratime, the pundit named Sergio Busquets as Inter Miami’s MVP for the year, with the 36-year-old being a constant fixture for the Herons this season in both the midfield and in the defense.
With Yannick Bright taking on the Busquets role for Inter Miami in recent weeks, the veteran Spanish midfielder has shifted to the back and has thrived in the new system, and Doyle believes Busquets has been the Herons’ most important player this year, as a result.
Doyles said: “The actual MVP of this team, for my money, is probably Sergio Busquets, and it’s not that he’s been so incredibly great, it’s that he is always out there. You talk about a guy who is just an innings eater, like, Busquets is always out there.
“He leads that team in minutes at age 36. He’s played on the back line. He’s played in central midfield. It hasn’t always been perfect. He’s not the Sergio Busquets of 10 years ago, but he is giving this team the stability they need to find the moments in which to win. And they are now winning at a record-setting pace.”
Busquets is on par with Suarez as the Herons’ MVP this season
Busquets is one of the most influential soccer players to grace the game this century, with the former FC Barcelona superstar forever changing the midfield position and inspiring an entire generation on how to play.
And this season, Busquets has been exceptional for Inter Miami, with the midfielder taking on a new position at center-back with a professionalism that you can only get from a player like the former Spanish international.
And alongside Suarez, Busquets has been one of Inter Miami’s MVP’s this season, with the 36-year-old evolving his game in MLS and becoming a key player for the Herons as a result.