Soccer Tejas
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NEW YORK (Saturday, November 7, 2026) – Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi made MLS history by becoming the first player to win consecutive MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi awards, claiming the 2026 honor after scoring a league-high 26 goals. Messi finished ahead of FC Dallas forward Petar Musa (22 goals) and Nashville SC forward Sam Surridge (21 goals). He is also the sixth player in league history to win the award multiple times.
In his fourth MLS season, Messi led the league in goals once again, scoring 26 times across 31 regular-season matches. Messi ranked among the league leaders in several offensive categories during the 2026 season – first in goals per game (0.84), first in goal contributions (43), tied for first in multi-goal games (six), and second in goals per 90 minutes (0.88). Of Messi’s 26 regular-season goals, only one came from a penalty kick, giving him 25 non-penalty goals, the second-most in a single season in MLS history behind his own record of 28 in 2025. Additionally, Messi recorded six game-winning goals which was tied for the second-most in MLS.
After scoring 29 times in 2025, Messi became just the second player in MLS history to score at least 25 goals in consecutive seasons. His 55 goals over the last two seasons rank as the second most in league history, behind only Josef Martínez (58 from 2018-19). When looking at the past three seasons, Messi has scored a total of 75 times in the regular season, which is the second-most in a three-season span in league history. He also joins 2023 MLS Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga (2023-25) as the only players in MLS history to score at least 20 goals in three consecutive seasons.
Messi also continued to establish himself as one of the league’s most prolific offensive players, becoming the first in MLS history to record at least 40 goal contributions in consecutive seasons. His 43 goal contributions in 2026 were the third-most in a single season in league history. Over the last three seasons, Messi has totaled 127 goal contributions, which is 29 more than the next closest player in a three-season span in league history (Evander, 98 from 2024-26). Since joining Inter Miami CF in 2023, Messi has averaged 1.69 goal contributions per 90 minutes in regular season action.
Throughout his illustrious career, Messi has taken home several top scorer honors at the club level. In his time with FC Barcelona, Messi earned the Pichichi Trophy eight different times, awarded to the top scorer in Spain’s La Liga. He is also the only player to win the European Golden Shoe six times, which is the honor given annually to the top goal scorer in Europe. Messi finished as the UEFA Champions League’s top scorer on six different occasions. Messi joined Inter Miami in July 2023 and quickly made his mark in the league, helping the Herons win Leagues Cup 2023, the Supporters’ Shield title in 2024, and the club’s first MLS Cup presented by Audi title in 2025. Messi also became the first player in league history to win consecutive Landon Donovan MLS MVP awards, earning the honor in both 2024 and 2025.
