'Thank goodness!' - Luciano Acosta jokes about beating Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi to 2023 MLS MVP award

The attacking midfielder won the coveted award last year after scoring 21 goals and bagging 14 assists in 44 games in all competitions. Despite playing 30 fewer matches, Messi, who joined Miami last summer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, scored an impressive 11 goals and provided five assists for Miami. Ahead of the new MLS season, fellow Argentine Acosta quipped he was happy the 36-year-old joined so late on the campaign.

The 29-year-old told reporters: "Thank goodness Messi arrived in the middle of the season because otherwise I wouldn't have won the MVP.

"I am happy to compete against the greatest, very happy that it is here. You have to respect Inter Miami a lot with all the players it has. It is a team that is obviously going to be one of the favourites and a team that will surely go far."

While Acosta personally had a superb season, having World Cup winner and all-time great Messi in the MLS does absolute wonders for the division. It brings more eyeballs, allows teams to bring in more revenue through ticket sales, and may attract a better calibre of player to grow the league, too.

The 2024 MLS season gets underway from February 21, with Messi's Miami beginning their campaign against Real Salt Lake a day later. Cincinnati, on the other hand, play Charlotte FC on February 23 in the Concacaf Champions Cup, before starting their season against Toronto on February 25.