Lionel Messi Breezes to MLS History With Unprecedented Feat Lined Up Next
It’s remarkable to think that Lionel Messi’s first proper shot at the MLS Golden Boot was foiled by none other than Christian Benteke, the Premier League cult hero who ended his underwhelming Liverpool career with a single-digit top-flight goal tally.
Memories of that 2024 campaign have been firmly banished as Messi scooped a second straight top scorer prize after amassing 26 league goals for Inter Miami this year. Only five other players in the 30-year history of MLS have ever won two Golden Boots, yet none can match Messi in achieving the feat in consecutive years.
Remarkably, there is even more history in his sights.
Every Player With Two MLS Golden Boots
Preki (1997, 2003)
Taylor Twellman (2002, 2005)
Jeff Cunningham (2006, 2009)
Chris Wondolowski (2010, 2012)
Bradley Wright-Phillips (2014, 2016)
Lionel Messi (2025, 2026)
Messi also became just the second player in league history to surpass the high watermark of 25-plus goals in consecutive MLS seasons, racking up 26 this term after his 29 the year before.
Inter Miami’s captain also added another six to his overall tally in last season’s triumphant playoff push, a run which he will be hoping to replicate during a decisive final month of the year.
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Messi Has Plenty More History to Write in 2026
The Golden Boot is unlikely to be the last individual trophy Messi collects this year. The two-time MVP is the overriding favorite to claim a third straight crown thanks to yet another dominant domestic campaign. The freshly revealed Ballon d’Or saw the 39-year-old voted as the fifth best player on the planet over the previous 12 months—and the four figures ahead of him do not play in MLS.
The Most Valuable Player award is named after U.S. men’s national team’s joint-record scorer Landon Donovan, yet the former LA Galaxy star only claimed the gong once (2009). In fact, Messi is currently one of just two players to have ever stood above their MLS peers on multiple occasions, sharing that illustrious air with former Kansas City Wizards forward Predrag Radosavljević, better known as Preki. No one has ever won three MLS MVPs.
Donovan can still beat Messi out in one category, boasting four MLS Cups to the Argentine’s solitary triumph last year. The Galaxy famously won back-to-back crowns in 2011 and 2012, a rare feat Inter Miami are also chasing after.
Only three franchises have ever successfully defended their title and none have managed it since Donovan’s Galaxy, which also included David Beckham and prolific Premier League veteran Robbie Keane.
Every Club to Defend the MLS Cup
D.C. United (1996, 1997)
Houston Dynamo (2006, 2007)
LA Galaxy (2011, 2012)
Miami have a roster stuffed with a similar number of stars but there has been a huge amount of upheaval since last year’s title.
Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba both retired after lifting the Philip F. Anschutz trophy against the Vancouver Whitecaps, leaving Messi and Luis Suárez as the remaining figures from the Barcelona enclave implanted into Miami. Former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar Casemiro was added midseason but it’s been a rocky year for the Herons, who have cycled through three coaches and two stadiums.
Yet, when the one constant is Lionel Messi, there’s always a decent chance things will work out.
