Lionel Messi may have won his eighth Ballon d’Or this year, but he wasn’t able to win another one of soccer’s prestigious prizes: the MLS Newcomer of the Year Award.
That honor went to Atlanta United striker Giorgos Giakoumakis – who bagged 17 goals for the Five Stripes in a season that saw them finish sixth and in an MLS Cup Playoff spot
In just his first season, the former Celtic man’s 17 goals was good for a T-2 finish in the golden boot race.
Giakoumakis tied with Cincinnati forward and MVP favorite Luciano Acosta and was three behind Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga of Los Angeles FC.
He also managed three assists on the season – good for seventh best on a team that featured the league’s top goal distributor: Thiago Almada
But this also highlights the lack of success that Messi had in his MLS debut – while he performed well in ancillary competitions, he wasn’t as successful in the league.
He bagged two assists in the one US Open Cup game he played and contributed ten goals and an assist in Inter Miami’s title winning Leagues Cup campaign.
But when it came to MLS, Messi was only able to contribute a solitary goal and two assists in six matches.
Inter Miami struggled before Messi’s arrival and they couldn’t pull themselves up enough to qualify for MLS Cup Playoffs.
By seasons end, the club had only moved up one spot in the standings as they’ll look to re-group for 2024.
