The man who has won just about every single award or accolade possible from his career on the pitch added a new honor to his resume on Friday as Lionel Messi was named the 2024 Major League Soccer MVP. Known as the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award, Messi claims the award after joining MLS in July 2023.
Messi scored 20 goals and contributed 16 assists for Inter Miami CF as he led the club to a 22-8-4 record, which was the best mark in the 2024 MLS regular season. It was also the best record in franchise history, and the 74 points accumulated by Miami were the most in a single season in league history.
Messi’s 20 goals were second-most in the league, trailing only D.C. United’s Christian Benteke, while the former’s 36 combined goals plus assists topped the league. He managed to do this while playing in just 19 games, as he led Major League Soccer in both goals per 90 minutes and in assists per 90 minutes.
The Argentine joins Carlos Vela (2019) and Sebastian Giovinco (2015) as the only players in league history with at least 20 goals and 15 assists in a single season. Both Vela and Giovinco were also named MLS MVP in their respective seasons.
Messi received the award in front of his three sons as well as well as hundreds of Inter Miami Academy students at the team’s home venue of Chase Stadium.
League commissioner Don Garber was effusive in praise for Messi when announcing that the global superstar had won the MLS MVP.
Voting for the MVP award comes from three sources: players, club technical staff and the media. Messi accumulated 38.43 percent of the vote, edging out runner-up Cucho Hernandez of the Columbus Crew (33.70 percent). Messi had both the most votes from his fellow players and the club technical staff, however, Hernandez had more votes from the media after a season in which his 33 goals plus assists only trailed Messi’s 36.
Rounding out the top five in MVP voting were the Portland Timbers’ Evander (9.24 percent), Benteke (7.1 percent), and Messi’s Miami teammate Luis Suarez (2.17 percent). Messi becomes the first-ever MVP for Inter Miami, which began play in 2020, as well as the fifth Argentine to win the award. That trails only the United States’ eight wins for the most victories of any nationality. Argentine Luciano Acosta won it in 2023, while other victors from the country include Diego Valeri (2017), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (2008) and Christian Gomez (2006).
This award only adds to the unparalleled collection of honors and trophies that Messi has collected over his 22-year career. He’s already an eight-time winner of the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA Player of the Year awards, in addition to a seven-time La Liga MVP. He also collected five European Golden Shoes for being the top goalscorer across the continent, two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls, and is the six-time top scorer in the UEFA Champions League. Messi was also named MLS Newcomer of the Year in 2023 after making his debut midseason.
If Messi were to win the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award again at some point, then he would make more history. Only Preki (1997, 2003) has won the award more than once, as not even the namesake of the award, Landon Donovan, had multiple victories, with his lone win coming in 2009.
While Inter Miami was knocked out in Round One of the MLS Playoffs by Atlanta United, Messi and Miami are slated to have a very busy 2025 season. In addition to their quest for their first MLS Cup, Inter Miami will compete in the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup, thanks to winning this year’s Supporter’s Shield, as well as the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The latter will take place across 11 regions in the United States, including South Florida, and Inter Miami has been named as the host of the tournament, which will take place from June 15 to July 13.
