Lionel Messi has been advised that, despite his outstanding performances with Inter Miami, he is not deserving of the 2024 MLS MVP award. With 17 goals and 15 assists in just 18 games, Messi has amassed incredible stats that have greatly aided Miami’s ascent to the top of the Eastern Conference.
But former USMNT player Taylor Twellman contends that Messi’s MVP candidacy is weakened by his absence from a large number of Miami’s games. Twellman notes that Miami’s performance in the absence of Messi demonstrates that the team is not solely dependent on the Argentine sensation, as they were quite successful without him.
WHAT TWELLMAN SAID
Twellman stated:
“Seventeen goals and 15 assists in 18 games is alien-like, that’s out-of-this-world type of production, but I ruffled some feathers when I said Miami won the Shield when they won eight of nine games without Messi. In 2023, Inter Miami won 78% of their games with him, only 12% without. The big question this year was how would Miami survive without Messi in the summer. They answered that—they won eight of nine, so to keep the same points per game with or without him, nobody predicted that.”
