Forgotten £32m Liverpool FLOP leads Messi and Suarez in MLS scoring charts | OneFootball

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have been electric so far in Major League Soccer (MLS) this season but is is a forgotten £32m £32million Liverpool signing made to replace the Uruguayan striker leading the way in the scoring charts.

Inter Miami currently sit top of the MLS table with David Beckham bringing in several ex-Barcelona stars to help the club reach this stage. Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi were joined by Luis Suarez back in January, all four signing on free transfers.

Read more: Hughes' £84m transfer solution

Benteke leads the way

Messi and Suarez may be two of the greatest players ever to live, but it is ex-Liverpool striker Christian Benteke who is currently the top scorer in MLS with 19 goals, despite his DC United side sitting in 21st overall.

Liverpool’s other former striker Suarez, who recently retired from international football, is currently sitting second on 17 goals, whilst Messi has 14 having experienced an injury-hit campaign.

The Belgian's prowess in front of goal is not translating to widespread popularity, however, and he currently sits only 19th in the shirt sales rankings according to the MLS website, with Messi and Suarez holding the top two spots.

Benteke's Liverpool struggles

Benteke was at Liverpool for one season, and despite a positive start, which included a brilliant bicycle kick against Manchester United, he struggled to adapt to the new style of play and joined Crystal Palace the following summer.

He managed 10 goals for Liverpool, however he did not fill the Suarez-shaped gap he was supposed to.

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Suarez had left for Barcelona the previous summer, and Liverpool struggled in his absence, but Benteke turned out not to be the answer. Michael Edwards was wary of the signing initially, but allowed it to go through due to Brendan Rodgers' passion for him, with Jurgen Klopp not as enthusiastic when he came in.

The Belgian enjoyed one good season at Palace, managing 15 goals, before his performances drastically declined in South London too.

He has however been enjoying a new life in America, and is now top scorer, after managing 14 goals in the league last season, and being granted a two-year contract extension as a result.

His head coach, Troy Lesesne, spoke after he signed the extension, saying: “Christian is one of the most dominant forwards this league has ever seen but what people don’t see is how hard he works on a daily basis to be at his best.

“That mentality permeates across the team and he leads by example both on and off the field.”

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