Lionel Messi wins MLS MVP for second straight year
Lionel Messi, who led Inter Miami to its first league victory and was voted the MLS Cup MVP during the season, is the first player to win the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award back-to-back.
Miami won the MLS Cup on Saturday, defeating the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1, thanks to two assists from Messi. Messi was instrumental in the victory, setting up Tadeo Allende in stoppage time in the second half and Rodrigo de Paul in the 71st.
At the end of the playoffs, the 38-year-old, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, had a single postseason record of 15 goal contributions (six goals, nine assists). He easily set an MLS record most goal contributions in a single season, recording at least one goal or assist in each of Miami’s six playoff games.
Messi’s 29 goals and 19 assists fell just one goal short of the league record of 49 goals achieved by Los Angeles FC great Carlos Vela in 2019.
Additionally, the Argentinean became the first player in MLS history to score ten goals in a single season.
He is the only player to have won the league’s MVP award twice, together with the renowned Serbian player Preki (1997, 2003 with Kansas City).
