Inter Miami have been enjoying the magic of Lionel Messi for two years now, and despite his age, he continues to dominate every competition he enters. The 2025 Major League Soccer season is no exception, but Nashville SC star Sam Surridge is determined to battle the Argentine forward until the very end.
Messi is currently the league’s top scorer with 22 goals. Denis Bouanga matched that tally after scoring a hat-trick for LAFC against Real Salt Lake City last weekend. Close behind is Sam Surridge, who has stood out this year for Nashville SC with 21 goals, firmly establishing himself as a serious Golden Boot contender.
“Being in a race with Messi is special for me. It’s a bit surreal,” Surridge said in a recent interview with FourFourTwo. “It’s also great that he’s doing well because it’s almost like me against him in a way, but there’s still some others in the race to get the Golden Boot.”
At several points this season, Sam led the league in scoring. In fact, he was at the top of the leaderboard until just last week—but Messi’s three goals over his last two games against Seattle Sounders and DC United changed the picture. “Messi could end up scoring however many goals in a game, and I can’t control that. I focus on what I can do,” the English striker explained.
Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami.
When asked whether Messi is still the biggest star in world soccer today, Surridge didn’t hesitate. “Yes, he is, 100%. Him and (Cristiano) Ronaldo,” Sam replied. “Messi is not just doing it in MLS, he’s still doing it internationally. It’s only a couple of years ago, he won the Ballon d’Or whilst playing in Miami. It’s great for the league that he’s here.”
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Surridge is in the best form of his career
The chance to compete directly with Messi for such a prestigious award would’ve seemed unthinkable for Sam Surridge just a few years ago. He came up through Bournemouth in the Premier League nearly a decade ago but spent most of his early career out on loan with lower-division clubs.
After stints with teams like Stoke City and Nottingham Forest, the English forward made the jump to MLS at the same time as Messi in the summer of 2023. He joined Nashville SC midway through that season and has since scored 46 goals in 80 appearances—clearly making this his best campaign yet.
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Surridge also praises Luis Suarez
In the same interview, Surridge also spoke highly of another Inter Miami star, Luis Suarez. “I’ve always looked up to him. Suarez is a great player, someone I always would watch on YouTube, watch his movement, watch how he can create chances for himself,” Sam said. “He doesn’t move as well as he used to, but these players, they always try and find an extra yard. He’s still got that fire.”
