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The wonderkids who didn't make it
Lionel Messi has experienced numerous noteworthy Golden Boot contests in the past, primarily against Cristiano Ronaldo; however, he now faces new competition from Englishman Sam Surridge.
Surridge’s goal for Nashville in their 2-1 loss to Cincinnati has propelled him to a total of 21 goals, placing him two ahead of Inter Miami’s Messi in the race for the MLS top scorer title.
With only four games remaining in Nashville's 34-game regular season—on which the Golden Boot is based—Inter Miami, who participated in the Club World Cup, has eight matches left.
Several other players are pursuing them closely, including LAFC’s Denis Bouanga, who has tallied 18 goals.
At 38 years old, Messi has scored 61 times in 74 appearances for Inter Miami; however, he has yet to secure the league's Golden Boot.
He has claimed the Pichichi Trophy, awarded to La Liga's top scorer, on eight occasions and has won the European Shoe five times, notably netting 50 goals in La Liga during the 2011-12 season.
In contrast, Surridge had his best goalscoring season in the league with eight goals in League Two.
Who is Surridge?
Sam Surridge, a former England Under-21 forward now aged 27, began his professional career at Bournemouth.
He had loan spells at local non-league teams Weymouth and Poole, as well as League Two clubs Yeovil and Oldham, before moving to Championship team Swansea.
His journey then continued with permanent transfers to Stoke and Nottingham Forest, contributing significantly to the latter's promotion to the Premier League in the 2022-23 season.
"Make sure to ask him how many clubs he’s played for," remarked his MLS teammate Alex Muyl.
"In preseason, we have a sharing session about our journeys, and he spent the first five minutes just listing all the clubs he’s been at."
Yet, he was not particularly prolific; his peak league goal totals were eight in both the 2017-18 season with Yeovil and the 2018-19 season with Oldham.
He managed to score only once in 20 Premier League matches for Forest before transferring to the United States for approximately £5 million in 2023.
Surridge netted 12 goals in the previous MLS season and has already achieved 21 this season.
His cumulative total of 43 goals for Nashville places him as the club’s second all-time top scorer. Nashville was established in 2016 and entered MLS in 2020.
He has not won any European Golden Shoes.
"When you're playing against seasoned professionals in League Two, it's challenging, especially when you’re away and only 19 or 20, working hard to secure a victory in wet and rainy conditions," Surridge expressed to the MLS website this summer.
"I believe that experience was crucial for me, as I learned early on how to grind out results, and it has become instinctive.
"It’s certainly a different route compared to many other players, but I feel it has positioned me well. I’ve encountered a wide range of football styles.”
Who else has received the MLS Golden Boot?
Surridge is set to be the second English player to achieve the title of top scorer in MLS, following in the footsteps of Bradley Wright-Phillips, who led in scoring for the New York Red Bulls in both 2014 and 2016.
Among the former top scorers are notable names such as Landon Donovan, Sebastian Giovinco, Carlos Vela, and Christian Benteke.
Benteke, the former Aston Villa forward, scored 23 times for DC United last season, with three individuals, including Messi and Luis Suarez, finishing with 20 goals each.
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