Sam Surridge: The Englishman leading Lionel Messi in MLS Golden Boot race

Former England Under-21 striker Surridge, now 27, started his professional career with Bournemouth.

Loans followed at local non-league sides Weymouth and Poole, League Two clubs Yeovil and Oldham and then Championship side Swansea.

He then moved on to Stoke and Nottingham Forest on permanent deals – and helped the latter into the Premier League in 2022-23.

“You got to ask this guy how many different clubs he’s played for,” his MLS team-mate Alex Muyl said., external

“We do a thing in preseason where we talk about our journey, and he spent the first five minutes just listing clubs that he’s been at.”

However he was never the most prolific with his eight League Two goals in both 2017-18 (for Yeovil) and 2018-19 (for Oldham) his best league hauls in England.

He netted once in the Premier League in 20 matches for Forest before making the move to the US for about £5m in 2023.

Surridge scored 12 goals last season in MLS and has netted 21 this season.

His 43 goals in total for Nashville make him the club’s second top scorer ever. They were founded in 2016 and joined MLS in 2020.

He has zero European Golden Shoes.

“When you play against men in, say, League Two, and it’s not easiest when you’re going away and you’re 19, 20 and you’ve got to try and grind out a win, and it’s wet and it’s rainy,” Surridge told the MLS website this summer.

“I think that was important for me, where I learned that from a young age, and it hopefully shows now where I’ve got that experience of trying to grind out wins, and it just comes more natural.

“It’s definitely a different pathway, I’d say, to what a lot of other players do. But it’s one that I think has put me in good stead now. I’ve experienced loads of different types of football.”