Categories: Sports

Messi becomes first player to win second consecutive MLS MVP award

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi has won his second consecutive Major League Soccer (MLS) Most Valuable Player award.

Messi won the award on Tuesday after propelling Inter Miami to the MLS title and leading the league in goals.

The Argentine superstar became the first player to win back-to-back MLS MVP awards and only the second player in the league to capture 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 – the fourth-most in any MLS campaign – 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 regular-season goals and assists, joining Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco in 2015.

Messi also netted six goals and created nine others in this year’s MLS playoffs, which concluded last weekend with Inter Miami beating Vancouver 3-1 for its first MLS Cup title.

Mbappe misses training ahead of Real Madrid-Man City clash

It’s the latest award in a trophy haul for the South American maestro that includes a record eight Ballon d’Or titles, three FIFA Men’s Best Player awards, and two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls.

Messi was a runaway season MVP award winner with 70.43% of total voting compared to 11.15% for runner-up Anders Dreyer of San Diego FC.

The former Barcelona forward took 83.05% of media votes, 73.08% of club votes and 55.17% of player votes.

He became the first MLS player with 10 multi-goal games in a season, breaking the old mark of eight shared by Stern John in 1998, Mamadou Diallo in 2000, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2019.

In 2024, Messi won the MLS MVP award with 20 goals and 16 assists over 19 matches.

Messi joined Inter Miami in July 2023 and helped the Herons hoist the Leagues Cup, a tournament for MLS and Mexican League clubs, that year and take the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield with a league-best 74 points in the regular season.

The Star

Segun Ojo

Recent Posts

Obi, Kwankwaso face NDC’s no-defection rule

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has introduced a stringent anti-defection policy requiring all its candidates…

5 hours ago

Cooking gas price’ll crash to N900/kg by year end — Marketers

The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) says retail cooking gas prices could…

6 hours ago

Appeal Court halts deregistration of ADC, four other parties

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has stayed the execution of a Federal High Court…

7 hours ago

Mass trial: FG secures conviction of 150 terrorists

The Federal Government has secured the conviction of 150 suspected terrorists out of 160 suspects…

8 hours ago

Court sentences woman to death for aiding bandits

A Federal High Court in Katsina has sentenced a woman, Hauwa’u Mukhtar, to death by…

10 hours ago

Tinubu commissions judges’ quarters, pushes judicial reforms

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday commissioned a newly completed 10-unit Court of Appeal Judges’…

10 hours ago

This website uses cookies.