Should Lionel Messi win MLS MVP despite missing almost half the season?

Last week, Major League Soccer announced the finalists for its end-of-season awards, and the list for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP trophy are a strong list. Each of the five finalists for MVP have been instrumental in helping their teams this season.

The five finalists for league MVP:

Christian Benteke (30 matches, 23 goals, 7 assists) was the Golden Boot winner and blew everyone away for most aerials (309) on the season, almost triple that of second place (teammate Lucas Bartlett with 109). However, he became the first Golden Boot winner since 2013 to not make the playoffs.

Cucho Hernandez (27 matches, 19 goals, 14 assists) was stellar this season once again for the Columbus Crew, as the defending MLS Cup champions seek to defend their crown in this year’s playoffs. Evander (28 matches, 15 goals, 19 assists) carried the Portland Timbers to the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, where they were busted by the Vancouver Whitecaps at home.

That leaves the overwhelming leading candidates for the MVP award, both from the Supporters’ Shield winners, Inter Miami: Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Both players were instrumental in leading Inter Miami to the highest season point total in MLS history and became the first teammates to each score 20 goals in a season.

Lionel Messi’s stats are amazing - 20 goals and 16 assists in just 19 matches - and are coupled with Luis Suarez (20 goals and 9 assists in 27 matches) to be a lethal attack combination. However, many are split over whether Lionel Messi, who has better stats, is truly the most valuable player of the league. Sure, he’s the best player in MLS, but the best player doesn’t always win the coveted award.

The main stat that most debate over is the number 19, which is the number of matches Lionel Messi appeared in. Messi missed 15 matches - including nine straight over three full months - due to injury and international duty, prompting many to question whether he should still be considered the most valuable player in the league. Adding to the debate is his teammate Suarez, who equaled him in goals while appearing in 8 more league matches to help his team.

“I did say before you’re not a serious person if you vote for Messi. I take that back a little bit,” Apple TV analyst Sacha Kljestan said recently. “Lionel Messi is the best player in Major League Soccer by far – by far. But he still was not there for more than half the season for the Supporters’ Shield-winning team, and the team was just as good without him...So, he’s not my MVP. But I kinda expect him to win it at this point.”

That’s the dilemma for several people who voted for MVP. Messi may be the best player, but was he the most valuable when he wasn’t there for almost half the season? The NBA recently changed their rules to make it where players who hadn’t played the vast majority of their matches were not eligible for any end-of-season awards, including the MVP award. However, Major League Soccer only has a minimum of 1,000 minutes to qualify for MVP. Lionel Messi played in 1,485, while Luis Suarez played in 1,920 minutes.

Still, does playing in only half the matches still mean you’re the most valuable, particularly in a league who normally rewards players for showing up for their team every single week? Voters may eventually decide that it does, but the team at least played essentially the same without Messi in the lineup. Inter Miami was 12W-1L-6D (.789) with Messi, while they were 10W-3L-2D (.785) without Messi on the field.

Luis Suarez helped carry the team during Messi’s many absences, scoring 7 goals in 9 matches that Lionel Messi didn’t play. Four of those goals came in the four matches after Copa America and Leagues Cup were completed where Messi was still injured, each of those matches resulting in wins for Inter Miami. Inter Miami doesn’t set the points record without his late season surge and his overall play without Messi on the field.

Lionel Messi might be the best player in Major League Soccer. He is certainly the player that brings the most value to the league in the form of exposure, marketing, prestige, and respect. His accomplishments this season are remarkable. However, when it comes to the 2024 Landon Donovan MLS MVP award, missing almost half the season has to be disqualifying, and the award should go to his teammate, Luis Suarez.