Atlanta United striker Giorgos Giakoumakis was named the 2023 MLS Newcomer of the Year on Thursday.
An immediate impact in the ️.
Newcomer of the Year: Giorgos Giakoumakis. pic.twitter.com/AyHGq9slod— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 2, 2023
Lionel Messi was voted as the best player in the world on Monday winning his eighth Ballon d’Or award. A new thing fans got to see is a Messi rings photo with the Inter Miami star having specially made rings for each of his Ballon d’Or wins.
The 36-year-old Argentine and adidas teamed up to make the iconic photo happen as it’s a nod to the legendary basketball star Bill Russell who passed away last year.
Russell won eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966 and took a historic photo wearing all the championship rings.
Some Major League Soccer fans weren’t pleased to hear the news that Lionel Messi was one of three finalists for the MLS Newcomer of the Year award. While the Argentine World Cup winner dominated headlines, he only made six MLS appearances.
Messi joins Atlanta United striker Giorgos Giakoumakis and St. Louis City midfielder Eduard Löwen as the finalists for the newcomer award.
Here’s a brief overview of the three players’ MLS stats this season.
Giakoumakis
Lionel Messi wasn’t at his usual best in Inter Miami’s last MLS game of the season and fans on social media have found clips of the No. 10 throughout the game that show he might’ve not been amused of playing while already being eliminated from playoff contention.
Inter Miami travelled to North Carolina this past weekend ahead of the last match of their 2023 MLS Season against Charlotte FC. The closure to a historic season.
Inter Miami and Argentina forward Lionel Messi put on a clinic vs. Peru Tuesday night scoring both goals in the 2-0 victory and dazzling fans with his dribbling. The Messi dribbling vs Peru highlight was another masterclass from the MLS superstar.
The moment that is going viral on social media came when Messi was being marked by Peru’s Yoshimar Yotún. Leo toyed with the 33-year-old sitting him down twice and then still managing to get away when reinforcements arrived.
Forbes’ latest report of the highest paid soccer players 2023 reveals that Cristiano Ronaldo has skyrocketed to reclaim No. 1 on the list. Forbes accounts for players’ salaries and off-field income.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi is still a doubt for the World Cup qualifier against Paraguay, coach Lionel Scaloni said on Wednesday.
Messi was included in the world champions' squad despite being sidelined by the muscle problem he sustained last month which has kept him out of action for his U.S. side Inter Miami.
Scaloni said the 36-year-old forward had been training well ahead of the match on Thursday.
Time almost has run out for Inter Miami to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, so all eyes will turn to Lionel Messi when the club hosts FC Cincinnati on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Will Messi return to the pitch this evening? Signs look good, but nothing is confirmed so far.
Messi aggravated a scar tissue injury in his leg on Sept. 7 when playing for Argentina in a World Cup qualifying match. He tried to play in Miami's win over Toronto FC on Sept. 20 but exited after 37 minutes and hasn't played since.
New York City FC are prepared for possibly facing Lionel Messi for the first time.
Suddenly ascending, NYCFC hope they can do enough to get the crucial three points that come with a victory Saturday night when they visit Inter Miami in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with Messi questionable with a leg injury.
Griffin Dorsey and Amine Biassi scored before halftime and the Houston Dynamo won their second U.S. Open Cup with a 2-1 victory over Inter Miami on Wednesday at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Inter Miami played the final without injured stars Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba.