Lionel Messi on the brink of making MLS history – no one has ever achieved this feat
Inter Miami will play in the MLS playoffs in 2025 regardless of their finish to the regular season, and that’s thanks, largely, to the performances of Lionel Messi.
Currently, the Argentine superstar has 26 goals and 18 assists this season – his combined stats far above any other player in the MLS.
His 44 goal contributions are second only to Carlos Vela in MLS history.
Naturally, the Argentine is being tipped to win the MVP award, given the historic nature of his season, including by MLS writer Sacha Kljestan.
And if Messi is to win the award, he’ll create history as the first player in the 30-year history of the competition to be named MVP in back-to-back years.
It is perfectly in Messi’s character to join a new league and set a record, given he holds a number of the most impressive records in the history of world football, namely: most Ballon d’Ors (eight), most LaLiga goals (474) and most goals in a calendar year (91), among others.
Who has won it before?
The list of previous MLS MVP winners includes some big names. The inaugural winner of the award was Colombian midfielder Carlos Valderrama.
In 2009, the award was one by the man whose name is now attached to it – Landon Donovan.
Since then, it’s been won by Robbie Keane, Sebastian Giovinco, David Villa, Carlos Vela and Carles Gil.
Keane won it in 2014, when he scored 19 goals and assisted nine more, and had better returns the next season – 20 and seven – but Giovinco outdid him, with 22 goals and 13 assists.
Messi’s former Barcelona team-mate Villa came close to winning the award twice, as he scooped it in 2016, when he scored 23 goals and assisted another five.
The following season, Villa had 22 goals and five assists, and though he was an MVP finalist, he lost to Diego Valeri.
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