Lionel Messi (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Lionel Messi clinched the MLS MVP award, making history as the first player to win the honor in consecutive years. As captain of MLS Cup champions Inter Miami, Messi established himself as a dominant force in Major League Soccer.At 38, the Argentine star continues to break records and adds another milestone to his illustrious career. His outstanding performance included 29 goals and 19 assists during the regular season and led the league in scoring.Messi joins Preki as only the second player to win multiple MVP awards in MLS history. While Preki won in 1997 and 2003, all other recipients have won the award only once.“He’s been fantastic all season, with numbers and also with commitment,” Inter Miami coach and long-time Messi teammate Javier Mascherano said.Despite only playing half of Inter Miami’s regular season games in 2024, Messi’s impact was undeniable. While last year’s vote was close, this year’s decision was clear.The voting results showed that Messi received 70.4% of the total votes. San Diego’s Anders Dreyer finished second with 11.2%, followed by LAFC’s Denis Bouanga with 7.3%, Cincinnati’s Evander with 4.8% and Nashville’s Sam Surridge with 2.4%.Messi’s career accolades include eight Ballon d’Or titles, eight Pichichi trophies, six La Liga Best Player awards, three FIFA Best Player awards, three UEFA Best Player of the Year wins, two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls and 15 Argentina Player of the Year selections. He has won 47 trophies with club and country, including the 2022 World Cup.“The reality,” Mascherano said as the regular season ended, “is that Leo removes all doubt.”Messi becomes the sixth player to win both the MVP and the championship in the same MLS season. Only Atlanta United’s Josef Martinez in 2018 had previously achieved the triple feat: MVP, title and Golden Boot in one year, equaled by Messi in 2025.In MLS history, only four players have been MVP finalists the year after winning the award: Carlos Valderrama (1996-1997), Marco Etcheverry (1998-1999), David Villa (2016-2017) and Josef Martinez (2018-2019).Messi has committed his future to Inter Miami by extending his contract by three years. He will be on hand when the team opens its new stadium near Miami International Airport next season.Back-to-back MVPs are common in other major American sports leagues. Recent examples include Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge in baseball, A’ja Wilson in the WNBA, Nikola Jokic in the NBA, Aaron Rodgers in the NFL, and Alex Ovechkin in the NHL.
