Lionel Messi ended 2024 winning the MLS MVP award, becoming the first Inter Miami player to scoop up the prized accolade.
Despite playing just 25 times this year and the Herons crashing out at the earliest possible stage in the post-season play-offs, Messi’s impact on the pitch was enough to sway voters to hand the 37-year-old the MVP award.
With league legends like Bradley Wright-Phillips sharing why Messi shouldn’t have won MVP in the build-up to the announcement, MLS is split on whether or not the Argentine international should have claimed the award having played so little for the Herons compared to other candidates.
And USA legend Alexis Lalas has now given his verdict on if Messi deserved to win the MVP award.
Lalas has ‘no problem’ with Messi winning MLS MVP
Speaking on the State of the Union, the former Stars and Stripes star believed Messi winning the MVP award was not a problem given how great the Inter Miami forward showed he still is despite his age and the injuries he suffered this year.
Indeed, 36 goal contributions in all competitions in 25 appearances is the sort of otherworldly form we’ve all grown up expecting from Messi, who when fit was easily Inter Miami’s best player on the pitch.
| Lionel Messi’s 2024 Inter Miami stats | Games played | Goals | Assists |
| MLS/MLS play-offs | 22 | 22 | 12 |
| CONCACAF Champions Cup | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 25 | 23 | 13 |
And for Lalas, Messi winning MVP is nothing to be concerned about, especially when the former FC Barcelona superstar is putting up the sort of numbers that every attacker would dream of achieving in just one season in their career.
Lalas said: “Messi being MVP, even though he wasn’t my MVP, I have no problem [with this outcome]. What he did, even in a limited amount of time, shows that he’s still not only the MVP and justifiably the MVP of MLS, but one of the great players still playing in the game.”
MLS have to consider MVP changes after Messi’s surprising win
There’s no denying that Messi is the best player currently playing in MLS, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner validating his quality as one of the best in the world with an incredible season despite playing just 25 games for Inter Miami.
However, most fans would agree that Messi’s MVP win was not deserved, with the forward missing the majority of the season due to injuries and international commitments as well as Inter Miami failing to go far in the play-offs.
Had the Herons won MLS Cup or even made the final, Messi’s MVP win would make more sense, yet the truth of the matter is that the soccer great simply did not deserve to claim the award given how long he was out injured for and how good Inter Miami were without the Argentine.