Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi has been named the 2024 Landon Donovan Major League Soccer (MLS) Most Valuable Player, capping off an impressive season where he led Inter Miami to their first-ever Supporters’ Shield as the top team in the regular season.
In his first full MLS campaign after joining Miami in July 2023, Messi scored 20 goals and provided 16 assists in just 19 matches.
His stellar performance helped the club achieve a league-record 74 points, although they suffered a surprising first-round elimination in the playoffs.
The MVP award adds to Messi’s already remarkable collection of accolades, which includes a World Cup winner’s medal and a record eight Ballon d’Or trophies as the world’s best player.
At 37, Messi becomes the first player in Inter Miami’s history to win the MLS’s highest individual honour, which was renamed in 2015 to honor former MVP Landon Donovan, a key figure in the league’s development.
Messi joins a select group of players, including Mexico’s Carlos Vela (LAFC, 2019 – 34 goals, 15 assists) and Italy’s Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC, 2015 – 22 goals, 16 assists), as the only players in MLS history to achieve at least 20 goals and 15 assists in a single season.
He won the MVP award after surpassing a strong field of contenders, including Columbus Crew’s Cucho Hernandez, Portland Timbers’ Evander, D.C. United’s Christian Benteke, and his own Miami teammate Luis Suarez.