Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player Award Is Lionel Messi

After an outstanding second season with the team, in which he recorded an astounding 23 goals and 19 assists in 25 appearances across all competitions, Lionel Messi, the captain of Inter Miami CF, was named the 2024 Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player.

Messi scored Inter Miami’s first-ever goal in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the most coveted and prominent club competition in the region.

On March 7, in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the 2024 tournament, the Club’s captain accomplished the feat by scoring in the team’s 2-2 road draw against Nashville, South Carolina.

Then, on March 13, the forward scored again in the rematch, setting up Inter Miami’s second goal of the evening to win 3-1 in the inaugural international club competition game played at Chase Stadium.

The decisive 6-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Matchday 12 on May 4 was one of Messi’s standout performances. It set a new Club record and broke multiple MLS records:

• First player to ever record five assists in one MLS match, and

• First player to register six goal contributions in a single MLS match.

• With a goal contribution in each of his first eight games of the MLS season, the Argentine became the third player in league history to accomplish this feat, alongside Cobi Jones (nine in 1998) and Clint Dempsey (eight in 2015).

• First player in Club history with at least 10 goals and 10 assists in a single season.

In June 2024, Messi made his MLS debut and, in spite of an injury, assisted Argentina in winning the Conmebol 2024 Copa América championship.

Messi scored two goals and provided an assist to lead Inter Miami to a crucial 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union on September 14 at Chase Stadium.

He became the fastest player in MLS history to record at least 15 goals and 15 assists with his three goal contributions in his 19th career MLS regular season match. He did this in 10 fewer games than Sebastian Giovinco, who had played 29 games.

In the team’s October 2 visit to the Columbus Crew, Messi stepped up, scoring a vital brace to lead Inter Miami to a 2-3 victory and win its first-ever Supporters’ Shield championship.

On October 19, Messi and Inter Miami arrived on MLS Decision Day, the last day of the team’s historic 2024 regular season. He came on as a second-half substitute to complete an incredible comeback that earned them a historic 6-2 victory over the New England Revolution. The team ended the 2024 regular season in a big way, setting a new league single-season points record and scoring six goals, the most in a single game in Club history.

Di María Brings His Stint In The Argentina National Team To A Successful End

Messi made MLS history by scoring a hat trick and dishing out an assist. With his three goals and an assist, he became the first player in league history to score three goals and dish out one assist while playing as a substitute, and only the fifth player in MLS history to record at least 36 goal contributions in a single season.

He also made Club history with the hat trick, surpassing Leonardo Campana (32 goals) as the Club’s all-time top scorer with 33 goals for Inter Miami.