Lionel Messi wrote this Saturday a new chapter in the history of Major League Soccer by claiming his second consecutive Golden Boot, becoming the first soccer player to win the top scorer award in back-to-back seasons.
La Pulga, 39 years old, wrapped up the 2026 regular season with 26 goals in 31 matches, a figure that no rival could match. His closest competitor, the Croatian Petar Musa from FC Dallas, finished with 22 goals and needed to score five in the final matchday to take the title, which did not happen.
The prize was sealed after the 3-3 draw between Inter Miami and Charlotte FC at Nu Stadium, concluding the regular season. Messi played the full 90 minutes and provided two assists without scoring, demonstrating his influence beyond just goals.
The 2026 season was the most participatory for the Argentine in the MLS: 31 matches played and 2,420 minutes on the field, both personal records. His average of 0.84 goals per match was the best in the league, and he accumulated 43 goal contributions including goals and assists, also leading the competition. Only one of his 26 goals came from the penalty spot.
Inter Miami was also the highest-scoring team in the league with 80 goals in the regular season, of which Messi contributed nearly a third. The Herons finished second in the Eastern Conference with 60 points.
In his three seasons in MLS —20 goals in 2024, 29 in 2025, and 26 in 2026— the Argentine star has amassed a total of 75 goals, a figure that reinforces his absolute dominance over the North American league.
The coach Cristian «Kily» González spared no praise for his star. “He has won everything he could think of and wants to keep on winning,” said the coach, who also emphasized the player's competitive mindset: “For him, it's not the same to step onto the field and draw as it was for us today.”
The draw against Charlotte, which came with a three-goal comeback in the second half, left a bittersweet taste in the locker room. "It happened at a time that really forces us to wake up," acknowledged González, who led the Inter Miami comeback in previous weeks to secure the playoff spot.
In the remainder of the final day, Nashville SC set a new historic record for points in MLS with 77 points, surpassing the 74 set by Inter Miami in 2024. In the Western Conference, Hirving "Chucky" Lozano's LA Galaxy was eliminated after losing 2-1 to Real Salt Lake.
Messi, who has already made history as the first player to win two consecutive MVP awards in the MLS, is now aiming to replicate that individual achievement while preparing for the playoffs with Inter Miami, which will face Columbus Crew in the first round of a best-of-three series, with the first game scheduled for November 21 in Miami.
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