After a season in which he led Inter Miami to the club's first MLS Cup, Lionel Messi was named MLS Most Valuable Player for the 2025 season by Landon Donovan. League commissioner Don Garber made the announcement Tuesday, capping a season in which Messi had 29 goals and 19 assists in 28 matches, one shy of Carlos Vela's single-season scoring record (though Vela scored in 31 games).
Messi joins Kansas City Wizards legend Preki as the only players to win the MVP award twice, with Messi becoming the first to win two such awards in a row. At 38 years old, Messi is not the oldest player in the MVP rankings of the season. MLS History – This award also belongs to Preki, who was the oldest MVP in North American professional sports history when he won the award at age 40 in 2003.
There was matter to be considered against Messi, who won the MVP award in 2024 in an injury-plagued season in which he played in just 55% of Miami's games—the lowest proportion of a team's games played by an MVP winner in the history of North American professional sports. However, in 2025 such questions did not arise. Messi had the best attacking season in MLS history as the coordinator of Miami's star-studded squad. The MVP award is awarded for regular-season performance, but it's worth noting that Messi and Miami competed on five fronts in 2025, setting the MLS record for most games played in a calendar year with 58.
Although Vela still holds the record for most goals scored in a regular season, Messi broke Vela's record for most goals scored in a regular season and playoffs: 61 compared to Vela's 52. He was particularly effective in the playoffs, in which he scored six goals and added seven assists in Miami's six-game run to the MLS Cup, in which he was named MVP after providing two assists. It was all a continuation of his dominance down the stretch during the regular season, with 10 goals and nine assists in Miami's final eight games.
Other finalists for the MVP award announced by MLS were LAFC's Denis Buanga, Dan Diego FC's Anders Dreyer, FC Cincinnati midfielder Evander and Nashville forward Sam Surridge. In another season, any of these candidates might have had a strong case for winning the award. But given Messi's dominance, the choice was obvious.
after promoting the newsletter
Messi won the award with 70% of the total votes, which were divided between members of the media, MLS players and MLS club staff. Messi received 83% of the media votes, 55% of the players' votes and 73% of the club's votes. Dreyer came in second in overall vote percentage with 11%.
