Lionel Messi of Inter Miami CF and MLS Commissioner Don Garber pose for a photograph with the 2025 Landon Donovan MLS MVP trophy at Chase Stadium on December 09, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. — AFP
Lionel Messi secured his second straight MLS Most Invaluable Participant award on Tuesday, capping a exceptional marketing campaign during which he powered Inter Miami to the league title and topped the scoring charts.
Messi grew to become the primary participant to win back-to-back MLS MVP awards and solely the second participant within the league to seize two MVP awards after Preki in 1997 and 2003.
The 38-year-old ahead, who led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup crown, scored 29 objectives within the common season — the fourth-most in any MLS marketing campaign — and arrange 19 others to say the MLS Golden Boot.
Messi, who signed a three-year contract extension with Miami in October, additionally grew to become solely the second participant to steer the league in regular-season objectives and assists, becoming a member of Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco in 2015.
Messi additionally netted six objectives and created 9 others on this yr’s MLS playoffs, which concluded final weekend with Inter Miami beating Vancouver 3-1 for its first MLS Cup title, Messi delivering two key assists within the triumph to say MLS Cup MVP honors.
It’s the most recent award in a trophy haul for the South American maestro that features a report eight Ballon d’Or titles, three FIFA Males’s Finest Participant awards and two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls.
Messi was a runaway season MVP award winner with 70.43% of complete voting in comparison with 11.15% for runner-up Anders Dreyer of San Diego FC. Messi took 83.05% of media votes, 73.08% of membership votes and 55.17% of participant votes.
He grew to become the primary MLS participant with 10 multi-goal video games in a season, breaking the outdated mark of eight shared by Stern John in 1998, Mamadou Diallo in 2000 and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2019.
In 2024, Messi gained the MLS MVP award with 20 objectives and 16 assists over 19 matches.
Messi joined Inter Miami in July 2023 and helped the Herons hoist the Leagues Cup, a event for MLS and Mexican League golf equipment, that yr and take the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Protect with a league-best 74 factors within the common season.
