Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi has been named the 2025 MLS MVP, becoming the first player in league history to win the award in consecutive seasons.
He is only the second player to win this honor twice, after Predrag Radosavljevic, who won the trophy in 1997 and 2003.
Messi finished the regular season with 29 goals in 28 matches, winning the 2025 Golden Boot and guiding Miami to third place in the Eastern Conference.
He also provided 19 assists. The Argentine star is now the only player in MLS history to reach at least 36 goals across multiple seasons, achieving the feat in 2024 and 2025.
In the playoffs, he added six goals and nine assists as Inter Miami won their first MLS Cup with a 3–1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on December 6.
Messi won the MVP vote with 70.43% of the total, edging out fellow finalists Anders Dreyer, Denis Bouanga, Evander and Sam Surridge. The vote is shared between the media, players and clubs.
He obtained 83.05% of the media votes, 55.17% of the players and 73.08% of the clubs.
Since arriving in the summer of 2023, Messi has helped Miami win the inaugural Leagues Cup, the 2024 Supporters’ Shield, and set a league record for most points in a season, culminating in this year’s MLS Cup triumph.
On a personal level, he won the 2023 Newcomer of the Year award, the 2025 Golden Boot and now back-to-back MVP honors in 2024 and 2025.
