Messi wins second consecutive MLS MVP award

Lionel Messi won Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Player award for the second consecutive year on Tuesday after taking Inter Miami to the MLS title and leading the league in goals scored.

Messi became the first player to win consecutive MVP awards and only the second MLS player to win a total of two MVP awards, after Preki in 1997 and 2003.

The 38-year-old forward, who led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup crown, scored 29 goals in the regular season and set up 19 others to claim the MLS Golden Boot.

Messi, who signed a three-year contract extension with Miami in October, also became only the second player to lead the league in goals and assists in the regular season. He joined Sebastian Giovinco from Toronto in 2015.

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Messi also scored six goals and assisted on nine others in this year’s MLS playoffs, which concluded last weekend when Inter Miami defeated Vancouver 3-1 for its first MLS Cup title. Messi provided two key assists in the victory and claimed MLS Cup MVP honors.

It is the latest in a string of trophies for the South American maestro, including a record eight Ballon d’Or titles, three FIFA Men’s Best Player awards and two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls.

Messi has also won three UEFA Men’s Player of the Year awards, six European Golden Boots, six La Liga Best Player awards and has been named Argentine Footballer of the Year fifteen times.

Published on December 9, 2025