Lionel Messi is on a red-hot streak. Following Inter Miami’s 3-1 win in the MLS Cup Final, the Argentinian star received yet another honor, making league history.
As the MLS season came to an end, Messi was named the 2025 Most Valuable Player (MVP). Now, Messi has become the first player in league history to win the award in back-to-back years.
There was never any doubt. Messi finished the season with 29 goals and 19 assists in 28 regular season games with The Herons in the 2025 season. To add the cherry on top, Messi and Inter Miami clinched their first MLS Cup title in franchise history.
Voting breakdown
The MLS Landon Donovan MVP Award is voted on by players, media, and club management. As reported by Kickbase’s Favian Renkel, Messi earned 70.43% of the total votes. Surprisingly, the Argentinian star registered just 55% of the players’ votes. It isn’t as shocking when considering players most likely voted for teammates, though.
Lionel Messi reacts after winning the 2025 MLS Cup.
Messi won by a landslide, but other stars in the league registered their fair share of votes, too. Finishing in second place was San Diego FC’s Anders Dreyer (11.15%), while LAFC’s Denis Bouanga closed out the podium (7.27%).
see also
Lionel Messi’s salary at Inter Miami: How much does the star player earn? Contract and earnings
Countries with most MLS MVP winners
Unsurprisingly, the United States of America boasts the most Landon Donovan MVP Awards, having a fellow countryman win the honor eight times (Preki 2x, Jason Kreis, Tony Meola, Taylor Twellman, Landon Donovan, Chris Wondolowski, and Mike Magee).
Thanks to Messi, Argentina is now in second place with six MVP Awards to its name (Cristian Gomez, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Diego Valeri, Luciano Acosta, and Lionel Messi 2x).
Which club boasts the most MVP winners?
With four MVP winners to its name, D.C. United leads the rankings. The Kansas City Wizards/Sporting KC and the LA Galaxy trail behind with three awards apiece. Closing out the podium is a four-way tie between the Dallas Burn/FC Dallas, Toronto FC, the New England Revolution, and Inter Miami, with two MLS MVP winners each.
