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Lionel Messi has been named Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Player for a second consecutive year after playing a decisive role in Inter Miami’s run to the MLS title and finishing the season as the league’s leading goalscorer.
The Argentine forward has become the first player in MLS history to win the MVP award in back-to-back seasons and only the second overall to lift the honour twice, matching the achievement of Preki, who won the prize in 1997 and 2003.
Now 38, the World Cup-winning captain enjoyed another prolific campaign, scoring 29 league goals and providing 19 assists to claim the MLS Golden Boot. His tally also made him just the second player in league history to top both the goals and assists charts in the same regular season, following in the footsteps of Sebastian Giovinco in 2015.
Messi’s impact extended into the play-offs, where he scored six times and laid on nine assists as Inter Miami powered their way to MLS Cup glory. The final saw Miami beat Vancouver 3-1, with Messi supplying two assists in a performance that earned him the MLS Cup MVP award.
The honour adds yet another accolade to an already glittering career that includes eight Ballon d’Or titles, three FIFA Men’s Player of the Year awards and two World Cup Golden Balls. He has also won three UEFA Men’s Player of the Year prizes, six European Golden Shoes and six La Liga Player of the Year awards, in addition to being crowned Argentina’s Footballer of the Year on 15 occasions.
Messi recently committed his future to the club by signing a new three-year contract extension in October, underlining his continued influence on the American side both on and off the pitch.
