HE IS the English striker formerly of Stoke, Yeovil and Weymouth in a shootout for the MLS Golden Boot with Lionel Messi.
Sam Surridge, now of Nashville SC, is on 23 league strikes, just one behind the Greatest Of All Time — as well as LAFC’s Denis Bouanga — in the Stateside goalscoring stakes.
The ex-England Under-21 international has the odds stacked against him as he has only one game left to take the crown, as opposed to Messi’s two and Bouanga’s three.
And, in an exciting twist of fixture fate, that solitary match is at home to the iconic Argentinian’s Inter Miami a week today.
Yet Surridge, who played in the Premier League with Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, told SunSport: “I’ve probably got to get a hat-trick so it’s not going to be easy.
“But at the same time I’ll always back myself to score and it would be an amazing achievement.
“We’re fighting at a really good point in our league. We just won the cup and we need to get into the top four to get a good play-off spot.
“I’ll do as much as I can to do it.
“It’s great. Just to mention my name along with his is a huge achievement.”
Berkshire-born Surridge came through the ranks at Bournemouth under Eddie Howe and had formative lower-league loans at Weymouth, Poole Town, Yeovil, Oldham and Swansea.
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He had a half a season at Stoke before moving to Forest, where he played 20 Premier League games in 2022-23 but netted only once.
His world has changed completely, however, since moving to the other side of the Pond in 2023.
He is now the main man with Tennessee side Nashville.
Though he has Messi to thank for convincing him to make the revitalising switch in the first place.
Surridge will hope his upcoming meeting with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner goes better than the last one, when Miami won 2-1 thanks to Messi’s double — including a sublime free-kick.
The 27-year-old added: “At first I didn’t want to come here because I just wanted to stay in England.
“But then I saw Messi join Inter Miami and I knew they were going to host the World Cup and the size of the league was going to grow.
“Since I’ve been here, the standard has been getting better and better every year.
“Going into that game against Miami in July, we were on a ten-game unbeaten streak, I was on 16, he was on 14.
“I remember we gave a foul away on the edge of the box and you just knew he was going to score from it.
“It was crazy — you knew exactly where he was going to put the ball. And he did.
“You’re trying to focus on the game but at the same time you know he’s playing. It’s not easy.
“He is coming to the end of his career but he only won the Ballon d’Or two years ago.”
Surridge has been relishing his role as Nashville’s go-to guy up top and recently scored the match-winning goal to clinch the US Open Cup — America’s equivalent of the FA Cup.
It was the first piece of silverware in Tennessee in a long time, although Surridge was sent off right at the end of the game for two late yellows.
Surridge puts his inspired form in part down to the recent birth of son Noah.
He added: “In the past, I’ve probably let it eat me up when I’ve had a bad game or not scored a goal.
“But now as one game is gone, I’m straight on to the next, back home with my family and being a dad.
“That’s a massive factor (in my form) this season, giving me that renewed focus.” Surridge is experiencing week in, week out the soaring temperatures that Harry Kane and the rest of the England team will have to deal with at the World Cup next summer.
And forward Surridge, who played with the likes of Marc Guehi for the Young Lions, said: “I know England are going to find it hard to cope with the weather over here because it’s not easy adjusting to it.
“There’s going to be a lot of South American teams that are used to it.
“Especially when you go to places like Miami, and places more south of Nashville, it’s not easy to play in the heat. There’s going to be a lot of toing and froing, sitting off and trying to break teams down.
“They should be pushing the games back because we play at 7pm most games and it’s still ridiculously hot.
“At the Club World Cup, I’ve seen them play at games at 2pm and 3pm in the 30-degree heat and it’s almost impossible.”
So what would his advice be for Thomas Tuchel’s side braving the heat?
The striker replied: “It’s not saving yourself in games, it’s more about picking the moments.
“Because as soon as you get into a full-on sprint in that heat, it’s hard to get your breath back.
“I think managers will set up their teams differently for that reason.
“You see pressing teams where they’re full-on pressing and, as soon as they break down, they’re going to struggle.
“It’s about conserving your energy where you can.”
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The Ithuba National Lottery held its latest Daily Lotto draw on Friday, 10 October 2025. Daily Lotto results Daily Lotto: Pending… Daily Lotto Plus: Pending… The next Daily Lotto draw will be tomorrow at 21:00. More on Daily Lotto: Predictions Results Insights
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ROSS KING had a secret romance with a high-profile BBC presenter after the breakdown of his marriage.
The 63-year-old’s stunning ex-wife Brianna Deutsch, who he married in 2015, had feared the fling took place before they filed for divorce.
But the TV showbiz correspondent firmly denies any crossover.
Those close to Ross also insist that the casual romance with the woman happened after the breakdown of his marriage.
A source revealed: “They had been friends for a while, but nothing happened until long after he and Brianna were separated.
“They kept it out of the public eye because of their profile. Neither of them wanted the pressure of people talking.
“Afterwards, Brianna questioned whether there was crossover and obviously had her suspicions. But Ross is very clear things only became romantic after his marriage had broken down.”
Flamboyant Ross and American real estate agent Brianna, 41, divorced in 2019.
Previously, he was married to actress Charley King, from 1999 to 2006.
He is now dating restaurant executive Bridget Siegel.
A source said his fling with the BBC staffer had “fizzled out”, adding: “He’s now very happy dating his new girlfriend and they’ve happily moved in together.
“He’s had a couple of marriages that didn’t work out, but things are going really well for him now.
“Of course, being under the glare of the Strictly spotlight is tough for anyone. But he’s been taking it all brilliantly in his stride and is having a ball.”
Fans of the ballroom contest were quick to comment as the Lorraine star went public with glamorous Bridget on last week’s show.
She proudly supported him from the studio audience, and many viewers remarked on her beauty and youth.
The brunette had flown 5,000 miles to cheer Ross on as he competes for the Glitterball.
He gushed about their relationship as it emerged he urged his partner to watch him in action on the dancefloor, with the plea: “You have to come because there might not be many of these.”
Ross has recently suggested he would not rule out remarrying, saying: “Never say never again. How about that?
“I’m such a great believer in love.
“It’s certainly not one of those things, having been married twice before.
“Either I’m really bad at it or I could be really good at it in the future, I don’t know.
“It depends which way you look at it: The glass is half full or the glass is half empty.
“But no, no, no, I’m a great believer in love.
“I feel very fortunate with Bridget that I’ve found someone who is just absolutely brilliant in every way.”
Scottish broadcaster Ross, who has been dating his current partner for three years, is best known for appearances on ITV’s GMTV, Good Morning Britain and Lorraine.
He was favourite to be first out of Strictly last weekend alongside professional partner Jowita Przystal.
It came after they finished at the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, with just ten points for their first dance and 15 for their second.
But he was unexpectedly saved by the public vote.
Instead, it was controversial former Apprentice star and businessman Thomas Skinner who was axed following a dance-off against rugby ace Chris Robshaw and his pro partner Nadiya Bychkova.
However, bookies continue to make Ross favourite for the chop this weekend.
Last night, Brianna declined to comment on their former relationship.
