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

Major League Soccer (MLS) announced today that Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi has been named the 2024 Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player. The Argentine helped guide the team to its best regular season yet, recording the most wins, goals and points in Club history, and winning its first-ever Supporters’ Shield title, doing so in historic fashion by securing the MLS single-season points record (74).

Messi received the award at a special surprise ceremony at Chase Stadium, during which Inter Miami’s Academy players aligned in an MVP formation to share the exciting news. After Messi got a glance at the kids from the stands, he descended onto the pitch, where MLS commissioner Don Garber greeted him and pointed him to the base of the V in the MVP formation; there Messi’s three sons waited with the trophy in hand to cement the moment. Following the handoff of the trophy, six Academy players addressed Messi, sharing brief emotional speeches about why Messi is the MVP in their eyes.

“Truly, it is an honor for me to receive this award from all of you,” said Messi to the more-than-250 Inter Miami CF Academy players who surprised him with the moment. “It’s a source of pride to watch you all train. I’m very happy to be here every day. I’m very happy to be in this city, in this Club that is growing…It’s a pleasure to see you grow day by day. I invite you to keep fighting and striving for your dreams.”

Messi was named Inter Miami CF’s 2024 Club MVP, and named to the MLS Best XI earlier this week. His historic 2024 campaign also saw him become the Club’s all-time leading goalscorer with a hat-trick against the New England Revolution on MLS Decision Day to reach 33 goals for Inter Miami, surpassing the 32 goal-mark set by fellow attacker and teammate Leonardo Campana earlier in the season.

Messi concluded the 2024 MLS regular season with a league-leading 36 goal contributions (20 goals, 16 assists), which was the fifth-most in a single season in league history. Messi averaged 2.18 goal contributions per 90 minutes this season, which is the best goal contributions per 90 minutes in MLS history. The Miami captain joined Carlos Vela in 2019 (LAFC, 34 goals, 15 assists) and Sebastian Giovinco in 2015 (Toronto FC, 22 goals, 16 assists) as the only players in MLS history with at least 20 goals and 15 assists in a single season. In his 19 MLS appearances this season, the forward produced a goal or assist in 15 of those contests and had multiple goal contributions 11 different times.

Messi’s brilliance was instrumental for a team that set the MLS single-season points record (74) with a dramatic comeback victory on Decision Day. Inter Miami Miami only lost one regular season game with Messi in the lineup, going 12-1-6 and averaging 2.68 goals per game in those matches. Along with the MLS points record, the Club became the third team in league history to win 22 matches in a regular season and the first to record at least 11 wins at home and 11 wins on the road (excluding the shootout era).

The Argentine forward earned several individual league awards in 2024, as he was named MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra six times (Matchdays 9, 11, 12, 32, 36, and 38) and MLS Player of the Month twice (April and October). Messi joined Carlos Vela (2019) and Jason Kreis (1999) as the only players in MLS history to earn MLS Player of the Matchday honors six different times in a single season.

As the Supporters’ Shield winners, Inter Miami qualified to compete in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, marking the second-straight season the team will participate in the competition. Clinching the Supporters’ Shield qualified the team for the new FIFA Club World Cup™. Inter Miami will open the tournament as the host team and play in the inaugural game of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ in its hometown of Miami.

Messi is the first player in Inter Miami history to be named Landon Donovan MLS MVP and is the 10th South American-born player to earn the honor. 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) as the fifth Argentine in MLS history to win the award. Only the United States (eight) has had more Landon Donovan MLS MVP winners than Argentina in the award’s history.

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

The Landon Donovan MLS MVP award has been presented since 1996 to the individual determined by a poll of players, club technical staff, and select media to be the most valuable to his club. Below is a breakdown of the voting results for this year:

A full list of Landon Donovan MLS MVP winners can be found below: