Messi Wins MLS MVP: Another case of football’s love affair with its favorite?

Despite only participating in 19 of the 34 games due to injuries, Lionel Messi has been awarded Major League Soccer‍‍`s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2023 campaign.

Without playing the whole season, Messi managed to win the "Landon Donovan Most Valuable Player" trophy.

At the end of the season, Messi scored 20 goals and gave 16 assists, helping Inter Miami set a new point total and win the Supporters‍‍` Shield.

Was Messi the most effective player in terms of both impact and numbers in MLS?

Despite Messi‍‍`s undeniable talent, many football fans and analysts have expressed disappointment at him being named the MVP.  

After all, Messi missed a huge chunk of the season due to injury, and other players in MLS displayed far more consistent performances throughout the season.

For instance, Columbus Crew winger Cucho Hernández who played the entire season and contributed goals and assists on a regular basis, shockingly received 33.7% of the vote, which was less than Messi‍‍`s share of the MVP award.

Participating in every game, Hernández led his team in the race for a knockout spot.

Likewise, throughout the season, players like Austin FC‍‍`s Sebastián Driussi and Nashville SC‍‍`s Hany Mukhtar stood out for their exceptional skill and leadership on the pitch.

Even if their contributions may have had a greater and more noteworthy impact throughout the season, none of these players received the same favorable reviews.

Controversies and Messi

Perhaps, Messi is one of the most controversial players when it comes to winning individual awards. Many of his awards have been questioned and criticized, not only by fans, by analysts, critics, and veteran football players and managers.

Many analysts argued that players like Erling Haaland, who had an incredible season with Manchester City, scoring a record number of goals and winning a treble, deserved the Ballon d‍‍`Or and The Best FIFA Men‍‍`s Player more than Messi in 2023.

Also, Messi’s nomination in this year’s (2024) Best FIFA Men‍‍`s Player award over Lautaro Martinez and Mohamed Salah and Inter Miami’s special ticket to The Club World Cup, further solidifies the fact that Messi is favored by FIFA and the whole football fraternity.

Particularly when it comes to individual honors, Messi‍‍`s selection and triumph often point towards discrimination as controversies followed shortly after the award ceremonies.

Sneijder Robbery (2010)

For example, Wesley Sneijder in 2010 was rather robbed of his Ballon d’Or. Despite being named Man of The Match four times and joint top scorer in FIFA World Cup 2010 and winning a treble with his club Inter Milan where they defeated Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League final to complete the treble.

Inter president Massimo Moratti shared his feelings by saying, “Sneijder had a phenomenal year, and won everything he could have won. It seems unfair the award is to be given to someone who, although a great player, didn‍‍`t have the same level of performance throughout the year.”

Van Dijk‍‍`s shocking loss  (2019)

Another such case happened with Virgil van Dijk in 2019, the season that made everyone believe and root for a defender to lift the Ballon d’Or.

Van Dijk started all 50 of the Reds‍‍` Premier League and European fixtures in 2018-19 and recorded 10 goal contributions.

That season Liverpool had acquired 97 points with only one loss in the whole season of EPL though they fell behind Manchester City in the league they won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.

But FIFA and France Football had other plans. After the reveal of the winner, later that night Liverpool’s head coach Jurgen Klopp expressed his frustrations by saying, "I see it differently, and so do a lot of people. I cannot remember a more impressive season for a defender, ever."  

Injustice against Lewandowski (2021)

And again in 2021 the same thing repeated with Robert Lewandowski when he was denied the Ballon d’Or award even after scoring 62 goals in a single season for Bayern (Most by any in that season).

This time Messi himself stated, “You deserve it and you should have it at home,” directing towards Lewandowski while accepting the award.

That season Bayern won the UEFA Supercup, German Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, and Bundesliga.

Why Messi?

The world governing body of football, FIFA, has long been accused of favoring Messi over other top players. And they simply do not hide it any longer.

Critics believe that Messi‍‍`s popularity, global status, and being FIFA’s favorite player, were major factors behind him winning the MLS MVP and other similar awards where clearly there were more deserving candidates.

MLS under Messi

Messi‍‍`s entrance into MLS drew a great deal of attention from the media, which overnight boosted the viewership of the league and it financially uplifted the league within a few weeks.

Messi was constantly in the spotlight, typically at the expense of other quality players, even if his entrance raised Miami‍‍`s global exposure and contributed to the league‍‍`s rise in popularity.

His postseason campaign was far from a perfect one, as Miami lost in the MLS Cup‍‍`s opening round. But that had nothing to do with his MVP honor.

The fairness of giving Messi the MVP award has since been criticized by MLS and football fans in general, particularly in considering the fact that players like Cucho Hernández, who played throughout the entire season, were more dependable, vital, and deserving.

Messi‍‍`s abilities and influence on the field are unquestionable, yet many raised questions if he actually earned the MLS MVP award. 

Did Messi‍‍`s issues with injuries and minimal minutes on the field justify being picked as the season‍‍`s best player, or was it just yet another example of the football fraternity favoring Messi?

"I would have preferred to receive this award in different circumstances, perhaps after Saturday‍‍`s final," Messi said after receiving the trophy.

“We hoped to win the MLS championship this year, but it didn‍‍`t go as planned. I‍‍`ll try again and return stronger next year.”

Though his remarks show modesty, they also point to the simple fact that Messi was chosen MVP regardless of how he missed more than half of the season due to injuries. 

Many debate that the honor should have been given to a player who performed far better throughout the entire season.

Although the MLS MVP award has existed since 1996, the selection of Messi this year has raised concerns about biases and integrity of the individual awards in football.

The final nail in the coffin?

It is impossible to ignore that Messi‍‍`s media appeal and iconic character draws favors from FIFA and that frequently keeps him in the race for nominations of any major individual award, regardless of context or competition.

Messi‍‍`s achievements are being criticized by other leagues and players, and this MVP award could be the final straw in the controversy regarding the method by which the world‍‍`s best players are chosen and how the winners of the major individual awards are decided.