Golden Boot battle with Lionel Messi feels ‘surreal’ to MLS rival Sam Surridge as ex-Nottingham Forest striker takes inspiration from Inter Miami superstars

Surridge made his way to the United States a matter of days after Messi accepted a call from Manchester United and England legend David Beckham. They have been plying their respective trades in MLS since the summer of 2023.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!

Stream games now

Messi helped to down Surridge and Nashville in the Leagues Cup final shortly after his arrival in South Florida, with Supporters’ Shield and MVP honours being savoured since then. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward has 30 goals to his name this season - with 22 of those being recorded in MLS action.

Surridge has found the target on 21 occasions, telling FourFourTwo of rubbing shoulders with a member of the global elite: “Being in a race with Messi is special for me. It is a bit surreal.

“Messi could end up scoring however many goals in a game, and I can’t control that. I focus on what I can do. 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.”

Surridge added on Messi still being one of the best in the business: “Yes, he is, 100%. Him and (Cristiano) Ronaldo. 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.”

It is not just Messi that Surridge looks to for inspiration, with the 27-year-old adding on Inter Miami’s vastly-experienced No.9 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.

“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.”

Surridge and Nashville will enjoy another visit from Messi, Suarez and Inter Miami on October 18, in the final round of regular season MLS fixtures. Both teams are hoping to secure a play-off spot, with a top-nine finish required in the Eastern Conference.