AI summary
Summary of article:
Messi scored 26 goals in the 2026 MLS regular season, won the Golden Boot award for two consecutive years, setting a record for the first time in league history, and continued to show his dominance by directly participating in the goals 43 times.
Argentine star Lionel Messi makes history again in Major League Soccer (MLS)! Messi, who plays for Inter Miami, finished first in the league with 26 goals in the 2026 regular season. He became the first person in MLS history to win the Golden Boot award for two consecutive years.
The 39-year-old Messi played 31 games this season, including 29 starts, scoring 26 goals and 17 assists, ESPN reported. He was directly involved in a total of 43 goals, ranking first in the league. He is also the sixth player in MLS history to become the league’s goals leader in different seasons.
Messi failed to score any more goals in the final game of the regular season, and Inter Miami ultimately drew with Charlotte FC in a 3–3 draw. However, Messi still tops the scorer list with 26 goals.
During Inter Miami’s 2025 regular season, Messi scored 29 goals in only 28 games, defeating Denis Bouanga and Ceric, who scored 24 goals respectively, and won the Golden Boot for the first time. He led the league with 19 assists that year and was selected as the 2025 MLS Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Messi is also currently optimistic about getting a chance to compete again for the 2026 MVP. If successful, he would become the first player in MLS history to win the annual MVP three times. He won the honor in his first full season after joining Miami in 2024.
Miami coach Cristian “Kili” Gonzalez recently said of Messi: “He is the best of them all. When it comes to the respect of his teammates, no one can compare to him.”
He also said: “Messi is getting older now and with what he can still do, in my opinion, he deserves to win the MVP or the Ballon d’Or. I hope he can achieve this goal.”
Inter Miami finished second in the Eastern Division with 60 points during the regular season, confirming qualification for the playoffs and the CONCACAF Champions League for the fourth consecutive year.
