NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 30, 2021) – Nashville Soccer Club in conjunction with The Tennessean have announced that 2021 MLS Best XI Selection and MVP finalist Hany Mukhtar has been named The Tennessean’s Sportsperson of the Year for 2021.
You can find The Tennessean's article here.
The honor of The Tennessean Sports Person goes to the person that the Tennessean’s staff deems to be the single most important Nashvillian in sports each year. Mukhtar becomes the second member of Nashville SC to win this prestigious award, joining Nashville SC Majority Owner John Ingram who won the award in 2017 for bringing MLS to Music City.
Previous winners of this award also include Tennessee Titans Running Back Derrick Henry, Nashville native and two-time World Series Champion Mookie Betts, Nashville Predators CEO Sean Henry, and Vanderbilt Baseball Head Coach Tim Corbin.
Mukhtar was named to his first MLS Best XI earlier this month after an electrifying second MLS season in Nashville, scoring 16 regular season goals. Mukhtar registered 28 goals + assists, the most of any player in MLS this past season. Mukhtar also secured the fastest hat trick in MLS history with three goals in the span of six minutes on July 17 against Chicago Fire FC.
The MVP finalist was selected to the MLS Team of the Week seven times in 2021 and was selected as the MLS Player of the Week twice. Mukhtar finished the season strong scoring 12 goals and registering eight assists in his final 17 overall matches of the season. Mukhtar finished the regular season tied for fifth in MLS in goals, tied for fourth in assists with 12, tied for second in shots on target with 43 and finished fifth in shots with 94.
Mukhtar led Nashville SC to historic heights in the club’s second season in MLS after reaching the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the second consecutive season, while becoming the first modern expansion club to win a Audi MLS Cup Playoff round in each of its first two seasons of existence.
In the 2021 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, Mukhtar registered the first brace in Nashville SC’s MLS post-season history in the club’s 3-1 First Round win over Orlando City SC on Nov. 23. Mukhtar finished the playoffs with three goals, the most of any player through the first two rounds.
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