Lionel Messi has been in excellent form for Inter Miami as of late, and of course, his level didn’t go unnoticed by Major League Soccer. In fact, the Argentine star was rewarded with the MLS Player of the Month for the first time.
The 36-year-old delivered some impressive performances in April, contributing in 10 of the 12 goals scored by the Herons last month. With six goals and four assists, Messi stood out from the rest of his peers.
Strange as it may sound, Leo didn’t win Player of the Month honors in MLS until now. Previously, he had already won this accolade eight times in LaLiga with Barcelona and once with PSG in the Ligue 1.
Messi now joins Luis Suarez as the only Inter Miami players to take home the prize, with the Uruguayan striker already receiving the accolade for February and March this season.
Messi’s performances for Inter Miami in April
Messi’s 10 goal contributions in April were the most by any player in Major League Soccer. The Argentine put on these numbers in just 315 minutes on the field, recording at least one goal and one assist in four matches.
The 8x Ballon d’Or winner scored in the first MLS fixture of the month to help Miami tie against the Colorado Rapids in his return from injury. Messi also found the net against Sporting Kansas City in front of a packed Arrowhead before registering back-to-back braces against Nashville and New England Revolution, respectively.
Messi’s great form saw Inter Miami finish April with a 3-0-1 record to stay atop the Eastern Conference standings and continue on pace to claim the Supporters’ Shield at the end of the year.
Unsurprisingly, the Rosario-born superstar is leading the MLS scoring charts with nine goals to his name, while he’s tied with Cristian Arango (Real Salt Lake) and Robin Lod (Minnesota United) for the most assists in the league with seven.