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Lionel Messi (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Lionel Messi has secured the MLS MVP award, making past arsenic the archetypal subordinate to assertion this honour successful consecutive years. As the skipper of the MLS Cup champions, Inter Miami, Messi has established himself arsenic the ascendant unit successful Major League Soccer.At 38, the Argentine prima continues to interruption records, adding different milestone to his illustrious career. His outstanding show included 29 goals and 19 assists during the regular season, starring the league successful scoring.Messi joins Preki arsenic lone the 2nd subordinate to triumph aggregate MVP awards successful MLS history. While Preki won successful 1997 and 2003, each different recipients person earned the grant lone once."He was fantastic the full season, with the numbers and besides with the commitment," Inter Miami manager and longtime Messi teammate Javier Mascherano said.Despite playing successful lone fractional of Inter Miami's regular-season games successful 2024, Messi's interaction was undeniable. While past year's ballot was close, this year's determination was clear-cut.The voting results showed Messi receiving 70.4% of full votes. San Diego's Anders Dreyer finished 2nd with 11.2%, followed by LAFC's Denis Bouanga astatine 7.3%, Cincinnati's Evander astatine 4.8%, and Nashville's Sam Surridge astatine 2.4%.Messi's vocation accolades see 8 Ballon d'Or titles, 8 Pichichi trophies, six La Liga champion subordinate awards, 3 Best FIFA Men's Player awards, 3 UEFA Men's Player of the Year wins, 2 FIFA World Cup Golden Balls, and 15 selections arsenic Argentina's champion player.
He has won 47 trophies with nine and country, including the 2022 World Cup."The reality," Mascherano said arsenic the regular play was ending, "is that Leo clears each doubts."Messi becomes the sixth subordinate to triumph some MVP and a title successful the aforesaid MLS season. Only Josef Martinez of Atlanta United successful 2018 had antecedently achieved the triple feat of MVP, title, and Golden Boot successful 1 year, which Messi matched successful 2025.In MLS history, lone 4 players person been MVP finalists the twelvemonth aft winning the award: Carlos Valderrama (1996-1997), Marco Etcheverry (1998-1999), David Villa (2016-2017), and Josef Martinez (2018-2019).Messi has committed his aboriginal to Inter Miami with a three-year declaration extension. He volition beryllium contiguous erstwhile the squad opens its caller stadium adjacent Miami International Airport adjacent season.Back-to-back MVPs are communal successful different large US sports leagues. Recent examples see Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge successful baseball, A'ja Wilson successful the WNBA, Nikola Jokic successful the NBA, Aaron Rodgers successful the NFL, and Alex Ovechkin successful the NHL.
