Messi wins back-to-back MLS Golden Boot as league's top scorer
The 39-year-old Argentine scored 26 goals and added 17 assists, the most goal contributions in the league this season.
Lionel Messi became the first player in Major League Soccer history to win the league's Golden Boot in consecutive seasons on Saturday, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
The Inter Miami forward led the league's scoring charts in the 2026 regular season with 26 goals and 17 assists, giving him 43 goal contributions, the most in the competition.
The 39-year-old Argentine is claiming the award for the second straight year, having taken the 2025 Golden Boot with 29 goals and 19 assists.
FC Dallas striker Petar Musa finished second with 22 goals, while Nashville SC forward Sam Surridge scored 21 to take third.
The league said Messi is now the sixth player in its history to win the Golden Boot twice, joining Bradley Wright-Phillips, Chris Wondolowski, Jeff Cunningham, Taylor Twellman and Preki.
Messi could also become the first player to win three Landon Donovan MVP awards, having already won the honour in 2024 and 2025.
His first MVP award came in 2024, when Inter Miami claimed the Supporters' Shield, and he retained the individual honour in 2025, the year the Florida club won its first MLS Cup title.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's team finished second in the Eastern Conference in the 2026 regular season and will face seventh-seeded Columbus Crew in a best-of-three first-round series in the MLS Cup playoffs.