Lionel Messi Claims Golden Boot As He Rewrites MLS Record Books

‎Lionel Messi claimed his first MLS Golden Boot dramatically on the season’s final day, capping a historic year with a stellar performance.

‎The Argentine winger delivered a hat trick to lead Inter Miami to a 5–2 victory against Nashville SC on Saturday night, finishing the season with 29 goals and 19 assists.

‎His 48 goal contributions also marked the second-best individual MLS campaign ever, trailing only Carlos Vela’s 2019 season with LAFC, where he scored a record 34 goals and provided 15 assists for 49 goal contributions.

‎That LAFC side was the last 2025 regular-season team to exceed 80 goals before Miami did.

‎Messi treated the Golden Boot as a late-season objective, and in Miami’s penultimate game against Atlanta United, he left international duty with Argentina to return to the Herons, where he netted a brace in a 4–0 win.

‎The next morning, he rejoined his Argentina teammates for training and played in an international friendly against Puerto Rico at Inter Miami’s home, Chase Stadium, less than 72 hours later.

‎Messi entered the final matchday with a two-goal cushion over his nearest rival. LAFC’s Denis Bouanga, who had 24 goals, missed two international duty games for Gabon and didn’t find the net on the last day.

‎Messi also became the fastest player to 50 regular-season goals, reaching the mark in 53 appearances, surpassing Zlatan Ibrahimović’s 54 games for the LA Galaxy.

‎He finished the season with 10 multi-goal games, the most by any MLS player in the league’s 30-year history.

‎Only three players, Vela (34), Josef Martínez (31), and Ibrahimović (30) have scored more goals in a single MLS regular season than Messi.

‎The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner solidified his status as the clear favorite for the 2025 MLS MVP award and could become the first player to claim back-to-back MVP honors.

‎With the regular season in the books, Messi and Miami shift focus to the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs, starting in the first round with a best-of-three series against Nashville SC.