Inter Miami have one MLS game remaining ahead of the play-offs, with Lionel Messi in the run-in for the MVP award.
The Argentine international made the mammoth 34-player shortlist for the 2024 MVP award, with Messi joined by attacking partner Luis Suarez as Tata Martino was nominated for MLS Coach of the Year, with Diego Gomez and Federico Redondo up for Young Player of the Year.
With 17 goals and ten assists in 18 MLS games this year, Messi has been the best player in the division by some distance when the 37-year-old forward has been available, with the former FC Barcelona star missing over half of Inter Miami’s games due to injuries or international commitments.
And Bradley Wright-Phillips has now shared what he thinks about Messi winning the MLS MVP award.
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Messi tipped to not even come close to winning MLS MVP award
Writing for MLS’s official website, the former New York Red Bulls striker brushed over the idea of Messi winning the MLS MVP award, with Wright-Phillips instead naming Columbus Crew attacker Cucho Hernandez and Portland Timbers star Evander as the two favorites for the accolade.
Wright-Phillips said: “Lionel Messi is producing at super-human levels. Christian Benteke has the Golden Boot all but wrapped up. But for the whole season, being available and what they mean to their teams, it’s Cucho or Evander as MVP.”
Even with Messi hitting double digits for goals and assists, it makes sense why the Inter Miami star is not firmly in the conversation for the MVP award given how much of the season the Argentine missed for the Florida franchise.
And with Inter Miami proving this year to be more than just ‘the Lionel Messi club’, the 37-year-old not being the clear favorite for MLS MVP is an encouraging sign that the Herons went about building their squad the right way and not trying to be over-reliant on one single player.
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Messi will not lose sleep over losing out on an individual award
Messi is a player who has been praised over the years for his humility, with Leonardo Campana recently revealing how nice and good-natured the Argentine comes across in training with every Inter Miami player.
And as a result, Messi is unlikely to lose much sleep if he ends up missing out on the MLS MVP award, especially with the forward himself saying that he is focused on the play-offs and winning MLS Cup.
Indeed, adding another title to his trophy cabinet is on-brand for Messi, and the Inter Miami captain looks set to play a huge role for the Herons in their quest to win a second piece of silverware after last week’s Supporters’ Shield triumph.