Sports

Cult Premier League star has outscored Lionel Messi AND Luis Suarez for award

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in action for Inter Miami(Image credit: Getty Images)

MLS now boasts some of the most impressive talent in world football, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez both turning out for Inter Miami.

The former Barcelona pair netted a combined 40 goals between them this season, with Inter Miami now advancing to the end-of-season play-offs, with there a chance they could still be crowned overall champions.

But both Messi and Suarez were beaten to the Golden Boot prize, with one former Premier League striker pipping them to the crown after netting a whopping 23 goals for DC United.

Christian Benteke scores 23 goals for DC United and is named MLS top scorer for the regular season

Yep, you read the above correctly. Former Aston Villa and Liverpool cult hero Christian Benteke beat both Messi and Suarez to be named the MLS' regular season top scorer just a few days ago.

The Belgian international scored 23 goals in 30 games, with DC United finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference table, therefore missing out on the play-offs for the final part of the campaign by just one place.

Benteke has since been frozen out of the Belgium team, having not played for his country since March 2022. He played just 21 minutes in a 3-0 international friendly win over Burkina Faso.

The former Crystal Palace man also scored after coming on, but his move to the United States seems to have halted his international career somewhat, despite continuing to shine in the MLS.

I really wanted to choose something that makes me happy, he said via The Athletic after moving Stateside.

Im ready to take any consequences. I just wanted to do something that would make me happy when I wake up. So thats my whole decision. I didnt really think about anything else.

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In FourFourTwo's view, Benteke has always shown he has the capabilities to shine, but it is that level of consistency that really prevented him from reaching his peak.

At 33, his move to the MLS seems to have worked out in terms of the latter stages of his career and after another successful goalscoring season, who knows what comes next for the Belgian.