There’s no denying it: Lionel Messi is the greatest football/soccer player of all time. But when it comes to being the most valuable player in MLS this season, I don’t think he should hold that title. 

I’m well aware that Messi led the league in goal contributions, won the Supporters Shield, and has a very real chance of winning MLS Cup, but he hasn’t been as valuable to his squad compared to a player like Evander or Cucho Hernandez. 

Messi was in the starting lineup for Inter Miami 44% of the time in MLS. Do MVPs make the starting 11 for less than half of a team’s matches? A player like Cucho Hernandez was able to spread his impact across 27 games. Sure, Messi would have probably run away with the MVP award if he played that amount of games with the same efficiency, but he didn’t. Messi spent a massive chunk of the year on the sidelines due to injuries, which were out of his control. 

Some people might argue that Messi made up for his lack of playing time with his ability to impact his team in a big way when he did play, but I disagree. 

Inter Miami had a PPG of 2.46 this season, but whenever Messi was on the pitch, their PPG was 2.25. There are obviously other factors that contribute to that statistic, but it was obvious to everyone: Inter Miami held their ground and thrived without Messi on the pitch. 

The MVP award should be handed out to the player who has contributed most to a team’s success at a higher rate than any other player in the league. I’m not here to deny that Lionel Messi should be in the conversation; the goals and assists and the Supporters Shield speak for themselves. However, in terms of contributing to success, Messi could only do so much in 19 matches. 

So, who deserves to win MVP this year? I think the answer has to be either Cucho or Evander. They played more minutes, gave a similar amount of goal contributions, and their clubs looked better with them on the pitch than without them; with Evander’s Portland losing in the first round of the playoffs, I’d lean towards Cucho being the deserving winner. 

However, just because you earn something doesn’t mean you get it. Messi will probably still win the MVP award. None of the other candidates were on the pace that Messi was. None of the other candidates have the name recognition that Messi does (aside from Suarez). None of the other candidates are the GOAT of soccer. If Messi wins MVP, it’ll be another thing that MLS will be able to profit off. And to be completely honest, that’s a smart thing to do. There is a valid argument for Messi to win the MVP award regardless of his reputation, and if Messi wins, very few people will be shouting robbery. 

But if and when Messi receives his honor, it will feel weird knowing that in the grand scheme of the MLS season, he didn’t play much, and players who were able to stay healthier and carry their teams on their shoulders will become afterthoughts once more. 

That's the Messi effect, for better or for worse.