Sam Surridge is surprisingly leading Lionel Messi in the MLS Golden Boot race with 21 goals. Despite Messi’s illustrious career, Surridge’s recent goal for Nashville puts him ahead. Nashville has four games left, while Inter Miami has eight, intensifying the competition. Other players like Denis Bouanga are also in contention.
In a surprising turn of events in the world of soccer, an Englishman is currently leading Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. While Messi has been known for his fierce competition with Cristiano Ronaldo in the past, he now faces a new challenger in the form of Sam Surridge.
Surridge, who plays for Nashville, recently scored a goal in their 2-1 defeat against Cincinnati, bringing his total to 21 goals. This puts him two goals ahead of Inter Miami's Messi in the battle to become the top scorer in the MLS. It's an unexpected twist, considering Messi's illustrious career and reputation as one of the greatest players of all time.
However, Nashville has only four games remaining in the 34-game regular season, which is the basis for the Golden Boot award. On the other hand, Inter Miami, who participated in the Club World Cup, has eight games left to play. This gives Messi a significant advantage in terms of opportunities to catch up and potentially surpass Surridge.
Adding to the excitement, several other players are also in contention for the Golden Boot, including Denis Bouanga from LAFC, who has scored 18 goals. The competition is fierce, and the race is far from over.
At 38 years old, Messi has an impressive record of 61 goals in 74 games for Inter Miami. However, he has yet to win the league's Golden Boot. Despite this, he has won the Pichichi Trophy, which is La Liga's top scorer award, a remarkable eight times. He has also claimed the European Shoe five times, solidifying his status as a prolific goal scorer.
One of Messi's most memorable achievements was scoring 50 La Liga goals in the 2011-12 season, a feat that is still talked about today. In contrast, Surridge's best league goalscoring season was eight goals in League Two, highlighting the difference in their career trajectories.
Image source, Getty ImagesEnglishman Sam Surridge is leading the way in the MLS goalscoring charts
So, who exactly is Sam Surridge? The 27-year-old former England Under-21 striker began his professional career with Bournemouth. During his development, he had loan spells at local non-league clubs such as Weymouth and Poole, as well as League Two teams Yeovil and Oldham, and Championship side Swansea.
Surridge then made permanent moves to Stoke and Nottingham Forest, where he played a crucial role in helping the latter gain promotion to the Premier League in the 2022-23 season. His MLS team-mate, Alex Muyl, humorously remarked about Surridge's extensive list of former clubs, stating that he spent the first five minutes of their preseason journey discussion just listing them.
Despite his extensive experience, Surridge's best league goalscoring records in England were eight goals in League Two, achieved in both 2017-18 for Yeovil and 2018-19 for Oldham. He scored only one goal in 20 Premier League matches for Forest before transferring to the US for approximately £5 million in 2023.
In his first season in the MLS, Surridge scored 12 goals, and he has already surpassed that with 21 goals this season. His total of 43 goals for Nashville makes him the club's second-highest scorer in their history. Nashville was founded in 2016 and joined the MLS in 2020.
Surridge himself acknowledged the unique path he has taken, stating that playing against men in League Two at a young age taught him valuable lessons about grinding out wins in challenging conditions. He believes that this experience has contributed to his ability to perform at a high level now.
If Surridge manages to win the MLS Golden Boot, he would become only the second Englishman to achieve this feat, following in the footsteps of Bradley Wright-Phillips, who was the top scorer in 2014 and 2016 for the New York Red Bulls. Other notable previous winners of the award include Landon Donovan, Sebastian Giovinco, Carlos Vela, and Christian Benteke.
Last season, former Aston Villa striker Benteke scored 23 goals for DC United, while Messi and Luis Suarez were among the three players who scored 20 goals each. The race for the MLS Golden Boot is always exciting, and this year's competition is no exception.