
The Digest:
Lionel Messi has cemented his legendary status in North American soccer by winning the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award for the second consecutive season, a first in league history. The Inter Miami star delivered a record-breaking campaign with 48 goal contributions, leading his club to its first MLS Cup title and earning a landslide 70.43% of the MVP vote.
Key Points:
- Messi is the first player to win back-to-back MLS MVP awards
- He recorded 48 goal contributions (29 goals, 19 assists) in 28 regular-season matches
- Messi set records for most multi-goal games (10) and longest multi-goal streak (5 games) in a season
- He became the second player ever to lead MLS in both goals and assists simultaneously
- The Argentine secured 70.43% of the MVP vote, well ahead of runner-up Anders Dreyer
- He also won the MLS Cup MVP after delivering two assists in the final
- Messi now has two MLS MVP awards, two Best XI selections, and a Golden Boot
Sources: MLS Official, GOAL