Despite only playing 6 matches for Inter Miami in the American professional league, striker Lionel Messi is still on the list of the final 3 candidates nominated for the title of best rookie in MLS 2023.
To win in the above category, the Argentine superstar will have to overcome two opponents, Giorgios Giakoumakis (Atlanta United) and Eduard Lowen (Saint Louis City). After many years of fighting in Europe for Barca and PSG, Messi just joined Inter in July this year on a free transfer.
Even though he couldn’t help former player David Beckham’s team get a high ranking in MLS, he and Inter Miami won the throne in the 2023 Leagues Cup . This is just the first title that Inter Miami has won in the club’s history.
Messi ‘s appearance quickly created waves in the US , helping the appeal of MLS increase significantly. This is clearly shown by the significantly improved number of people on the field in MLS matches with Messi’s participation. It can be affirmed that not only Inter Miami but also MLS also benefited from this striker born in 1987 coming to the country to play football.
According to regulations, the 3 candidates who make it to the final nomination list are selected by players, members of the coaching staff of each team in MLS as well as journalists. Not only does it have a say in the best rookie category, the voting council mentioned above also decides who is the candidate for a number of other titles.
Most importantly, the best player award will be the competition between Thiago Almada (Atlanta United), Luciano Acosta (Cincinnati) and Dennis Bouanga (Los Angeles). Notably, Almada is also on the shortlist for the best young player in MLS. This 22-year-old Argentine talent was nominated alongside Duncan McGuire (Orlando City) and Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew).
Meanwhile, Tim Parker (St. Louis City), Matt Mlazga (Cincinnati) and Yelmar Gomez Andrade (Seattle Sounders) will compete for the title of best defender. In addition, on the list of candidates for the best goalkeeper award are Roman Burki (Saint Louis City), Pedro Gallese (Orlando City) and Roman Celentano (Cincinnati).