Bradley Wright-Phillips believes Lionel Messi is set to sweep the Golden Boot and MVP awards again, potentially completing a historic three-peat in the process. Lionel Messi continues to be the driving force behind Inter Miami’s season, and according to New York Red Bull legend Bradley Wright-Phillips, the Argentine is well on track to complete a historic three-peat as MLS MVP. The New York Red Bulls’ all-time leading scorer made his case in an interview with Deporte Total USA, leaving little doubt about where he stands. “I’ve made the mistake of writing off Messi and saying, you know, maybe someone else will win it. Impossible. He wins the Golden Boot easily. If he wants on a day, he can just score three or four goals. It’s very hard to compete with that,” he said, before adding on the MVP race: “The man’s just too good. He’s one of my favourite players ever. Yeah, he’s going to win it all“. Should Messi claim MVP for a third straight year, he would become the first player in league history to complete such a run, adding to an already crowded trophy case that includes back-to-back honors in 2024 and 2025, at a time when he sits tied atop the Golden Boot standings with Petar Musa on 18 goals apiece, in the race for a third scoring title. A strong finish from Inter Miami as a team could only help Messi’s case further. The Herons currently sit third in the Supporters’ Shield race with 44 points, nine behind leaders Nashville SC, while also remaining firmly in the mix to defend their MLS Cup title as the postseason approaches. Bradley Wright-Phillips sobre Lionel Messi:"Messi va a ganar el premio al MVP, es demasiado bueno. Es el goat, uno de los mejores de la historia y mi favorito"También lo apunta como campeón de goleo.#InterMiamiCF #Messi pic.twitter.com/3TUQgrtTb3— José Armando (@Jarm21) September 11, 2026 Wright-Phillips sees Evander as a strong MVP candidate too Wright-Phillips did make room for one alternative name in the MVP conversation, even if he ultimately settled on Messi. “Earlier in the season, I was rooting for Evander because I think he’s a very special player. I think Leo Messi being in the league has, you know, hindered his shot,” he said of the FC Cincinnati playmaker. He went on to suggest that, in a different landscape, the race might have gone the other way. “If Messi’s not here, Evander probably wins two in a row, but Messi wins MVP too,” Wright-Phillips said, underscoring just how difficult it has become for anyone else to break through while Messi remains in the league. Even with that acknowledgement, Wright-Phillips made clear his prediction wasn’t close. Evander’s case may be real, but as long as Messi keeps producing at this level, the rest of the league’s biggest individual honors appear destined to run through Inter Miami’s captain once again.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has spoken more about the ways he personally disrupted his team’s pre-season schedule to get a reaction from his players. The Gunners boss has often shown himself to be keen on pushing even those finest of margins to take his team up a level, and it seems that includes stressing them […] The post Mikel Arteta reveals “many” crazy methods to keep Arsenal players on their toes appeared first on CaughtOffside.
Petr Cech believes Lionel Messi still has a real shot at winning a record-extending ninth Ballon d'Or this year. The 2026 Ballon d’Or conversation continues to heat up ahead of October’s ceremony, and one of the game’s most respected former goalkeepers has thrown his support behind Lionel Messi as the sport’s biggest individual honor edges closer. Petr Cech, speaking in an interview with Kalshi Sports, was asked directly who he expects to win the award. “The winner of the Ballon d’Or? That’s a good question, but I think Messi has a good chance,” the former Chelsea goalkeeper said. Messi’s case rests on a remarkable year, at 39 years old, that included leading Inter Miami to the MLS title, registering 45 goals and 30 assists across 49 matches, and driving Argentina back to the World Cup final with eight goals and four assists in the tournament. A win would give him a record-extending ninth Ballon d’Or, well clear of any other player in the award’s history. Still, Messi faces stiff competition from a shortlist led by Harry Kane, who scored 73 goals for club and country during the review period, along with Kylian Mbappe, who topped the scoring charts in LaLiga, the Champions League and the World Cup, and Lamine Yamal, who won a domestic treble with Barcelona and lifted the World Cup with Spain. 🚨 Petr Čech: "Who will win the Ballon d'Or? That's a good question. I think Messi has a good chance of winning it." ✨✨ pic.twitter.com/VD3UwPLEu8— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) September 9, 2026 Current betting odds still list Messi as an outside contender, but the ceremony, scheduled for October 26 in London, remains wide open with journalists yet to cast their votes. Messi’s Ballon d’Or nomination history Messi’s 2026 nod marks his 17th career Ballon d’Or nomination, second only to Cristiano Ronaldo’s record 18, in a streak that began back in 2007 and has continued nearly every year since. Of those 17 nominations, he has converted eight into wins, first in 2009 and most recently in 2023, giving him more Ballon d’Or trophies than any other footballer ever. No other player has come close to matching Messi’s level of sustained excellence in the eyes of voters, with only Ronaldo’s five Ballon d’Or wins even approaching that mark. A ninth trophy in October would only widen Messi’s lead over Ronaldo and the rest of the award’s history in terms of total victories, even as Ronaldo continues to hold the record for nominations.
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