LIONEL Messi won his second straight Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player award today after inspiring Inter Miami to the MLS Cup title and leading the league in goals.
Messi, 38, became the first player to win back-to-back MLS MVP awards and only the second MLS player to capture two MVP awards after Preki in 1997 and 2003.
The superstar forward, who captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup triumph, scored 29 goals in the regular season and set up 19 others to claim the MLS Golden Boot.
Messi, who signed a three-year contract extension with Inter 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 assisted nine others in this year’s MLS playoffs, which concluded last weekend with Inter Miami beating Vancouver 3-1 for their first MLS Cup title.
The superstar forward delivered two key assists in the final victory to claim MLS Cup MVP honours.
It’s the latest award in a trophy haul for the South American genius that includes a record eight Ballon d’Or titles, three FIFA Men’s Best Player awards and two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls.
Messi has also won three UEFA Men’s Player of the Year awards, six European Golden Shoes, six La Liga Best Player awards and has been named Argentina’s Footballer of the Year 15 times.
With agency report