Cucho Hérnandez Hails 'Incredible' MLS Rivalry With Lionel Messi | OneFootball

As the engine of Columbus Crew SC's attack from 2022-2024, Cucho Hérnandez never got the opportunity to be crowned MLS MVP.

Instead, there was his constant rivalry with then-FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano Acosta, now playing with FC Dallas, and in 2024, he lost out to Lionel Messi, who led Inter Miami CF to an MLS points record of 74 in the regular season.

Yet, the lack of an individual coronation doesn’t matter too much to Hérnandez, now playing football in La Liga with Real Betis, after leaving Columbus just weeks before the 2025 MLS season.

He reached his goals, won an MLS Cup, Leagues Cup and made a run to the Concacaf Champions Cup Final. Meanwhile, the Crew have continued to thrive without him, getting elevated play from Diego Rossi and Jacen Russell-Rowe, while adding Daniel Gazdag.

After landing in MLS in 2022, Hérnandez played a role in one of the best teams of the modern era and also helped push Messi and Inter Miami through several contests, elevating the league into the global spotlight, which led to his move back to Europe.

Coming to the league was a brave move for the then 23-year-old, stepping away from Watford FC and the bright lights of the English Premier League. Still, his arrival, eventual stardom and sparring with Messi helped bring the league to new heights before he headed to Spain.

“Columbus came with a personal proposal and a football proposal, that convinced me that I had to take that step,” Hernandez told Sports Illustrated about coming to MLS. “I took it as a new adventure, like let’s test, let’s give it a try. But from the beginning, my idea was to come back to Europe, so I got it and I’m very happy to have been able to live the MLS experience.”

Cucho Hernandez Thrived Against Lionel Messi

In 2023, he led Columbus to the MLS Cup title, while Messi’s Miami missed out on the postseason. In 2024, Cucho scored 19 goals and 11 assists, falling short of Messi’s 21 goals and 11 assists, but claimed the Leagues Cup, the trophy Messi won the year prior.

Messi may not be among the players who need a push to elevate his level among the other standouts in MLS, but Hérnandez certainly offered that, with many arguing that he should have received the MVP award at the end of the season.

“The media impact was incredible,” Hernandez said of Messi’s 2023 arrival. “That was even good for us because the number of MLS fans increased a lot. It was a pleasure to be able to have, in my opinion, the best football player in history in the MLS.”

Through four contests against each other, Columbus won once, while Miami took two and one draw, with Hernandez and Messi both scoring twice, in a short-lived yet feisty rivalry between the two South American superstars.

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“It was incredible because in the end, we as a club were able to compete with him. We beat him a couple of times as well,” Hernandez said, having also faced him in La Liga through his days with Real Mallorca, Getafe and Huesca.

“Now that I’m here, I remember it and I say what a great time to have competed against him, even though I had already faced him several times here in Spain, but well, it was pretty special.”

While Hérnandez was able to step away from MLS with two trophies and a Champions Cup Final run, Messi is still looking to measure up, with the Champions Cup and MLS Cup still the Holy Grail for him and Inter Miami.