Inter Miami CF Captain Lionel Messi Named 2024 Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player

Main League Soccer (MLS) introduced right now that Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi has been named the 2024 Landon Donovan MLS Most Helpful Participant. The Argentine helped information the workforce to its finest common season but, recording essentially the most wins, objectives and factors in Membership historical past, and successful its first-ever Supporters’ Protect title, doing so in historic trend by securing the MLS single-season factors report (74).

Messi obtained the award at a particular shock ceremony at Chase Stadium, throughout which Inter Miami’s Academy gamers aligned in an MVP formation to share the thrilling information. After Messi received a look on the youngsters from the stands, he descended onto the pitch, the place MLS commissioner Don Garber greeted him and pointed him to the bottom of the V within the MVP formation; there Messi’s three sons waited with the trophy in hand to cement the second. Following the handoff of the trophy, six Academy gamers addressed Messi, sharing temporary emotional speeches about why Messi is the MVP of their eyes.

“Really, it’s an honor for me to obtain this award from all of you,” mentioned Messi to the more-than-250 Inter Miami CF Academy gamers who stunned him with the second. “It’s a supply of delight to look at you all prepare. I’m very glad to be right here day-after-day. I’m very glad to be on this metropolis, on this Membership that’s rising…It’s a pleasure to see you develop day-to-day. I invite you to maintain combating and striving in your desires.”

Messi was named Inter Miami CF’s 2024 Membership MVP, and named to the MLS Greatest XI earlier this week. His historic 2024 marketing campaign additionally noticed him develop into the Membership’s all-time main goalscorer with a hat-trick towards the New England Revolution on MLS Determination Day to succeed in 33 objectives for Inter Miami, surpassing the 32 goal-mark set by fellow attacker and teammate Leonardo Campana earlier within the season.

Messi concluded the 2024 MLS common season with a league-leading 36 purpose contributions (20 objectives, 16 assists), which was the fifth-most in a single season in league historical past. Messi averaged 2.18 purpose contributions per 90 minutes this season, which is one of the best purpose contributions per 90 minutes in MLS historical past. The Miami captain joined Carlos Vela in 2019 (LAFC, 34 objectives, 15 assists) and Sebastian Giovinco in 2015 (Toronto FC, 22 objectives, 16 assists) as the one gamers in MLS historical past with not less than 20 objectives and 15 assists in a single season. In his 19 MLS appearances this season, the ahead produced a purpose or help in 15 of these contests and had a number of purpose contributions 11 totally different instances.

Messi’s brilliance was instrumental for a workforce that set the MLS single-season factors report (74) with a dramatic comeback victory on Determination Day. Inter Miami Miami solely misplaced one common season recreation with Messi within the lineup, going 12-1-6 and averaging 2.68 objectives per recreation in these matches. Together with the MLS factors report, the Membership turned the third workforce in league historical past to win 22 matches in an everyday season and the primary to report not less than 11 wins at house and 11 wins on the highway (excluding the shootout period).

The Argentine ahead earned a number of particular person league awards in 2024, as he was named MLS Participant of the Matchday offered by Michelob Extremely six instances (Matchdays 9, 11, 12, 32, 36, and 38) and MLS Participant of the Month twice (April and October). Messi joined Carlos Vela (2019) and Jason Kreis (1999) as the one gamers in MLS historical past to earn MLS Participant of the Matchday honors six totally different instances in a single season.

Because the Supporters’ Protect winners, Inter Miami certified to compete within the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, marking the second-straight season the workforce will take part within the competitors. Clinching the Supporters’ Protect certified the workforce for the brand new FIFA Membership World Cup™. Inter Miami will open the event because the host workforce and play within the inaugural recreation of the FIFA Membership World Cup 2025™ in its hometown of Miami.

Messi is the primary participant in Inter Miami historical past to be named Landon Donovan MLS MVP and is the tenth South American-born participant to earn the glory. He joins Luciano Acosta (FC Cincinnati, 2023), Diego Valeri (Portland Timbers, 2017), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew, 2008), and Christian Gómez (D.C. United, 2006) because the fifth Argentine in MLS historical past to win the award. Solely the US (eight) has had extra Landon Donovan MLS MVP winners than Argentina within the award’s historical past.

Messi completed forward of Columbus Crew ahead Cucho Hernández, Portland Timbers midfielder Evander, D.C. United’s Christian Benteke, and fellow Inter Miami teammate Luis Suárez to take house the award.

The Landon Donovan MLS MVP award has been offered since 1996 to the person decided by a ballot of gamers, membership technical employees, and choose media to be essentially the most useful to his membership. Under is a breakdown of the voting outcomes for this yr:

A full record of Landon Donovan MLS MVP winners will be discovered beneath: