Lionel Messi wins back-to-back MLS Golden Boot awards

Lionel Messi has become the first player to win back-to-back Major League Soccer Golden Boot awards after finishing the 2026 regular season with a league-high 26 goals, espn.com reported.

Messi Secures Scoring Award with Twenty-Six Goals

The 39-year-old forward, who retired from the Argentina national team last month, secured the award despite failing to add to his tally in his final regular-season game on Saturday. In that match, Inter Miami surrendered a three-goal halftime lead to draw 3-3 with Charlotte FC, as africa.espn.com reported. Messi’s 26 goals this season came across 31 games, including 29 starts. He also registered 17 assists, bringing his league-high total to 43 goal contributions.

Messi stands as just the sixth player to finish with the most goals in multiple MLS regular seasons. He earned his first Golden Boot in 2025 by scoring 29 goals in 28 regular-season games alongside 19 assists. Having secured the league MVP award in his debut full season in 2024 and repeating the feat in 2025, he remains the front-runner to collect the honor again for 2026.

“I have no doubt that he’s the best of all,” Miami coach Cristian ”Kily” González said of Messi recently, as reported by espn.com. “None of them can compare to him when it comes to respect for his colleagues. Leo at his age and what he does, from my point of view, deserves the MVP and also the Ballon d’Or. I hope he can achieve it.”

Inter Miami Finishes Second in Eastern Conference

Messi finished four goals clear of his nearest challenger for the 2026 Golden Boot, FC Dallas forward Petar Musa of Croatia. Nashville SC striker Sam Surridge placed third with 21 goals after scoring twice on the final day of the regular season.

Messi’s production propelled Inter Miami to second place in the Eastern Conference table with 60 points, following New England’s 1-0 loss at Orlando. The finish clinches a playoff spot and secures a berth in the upcoming Concacaf Champions Cup for the fourth consecutive year. Nashville SC captured the top spot by beating Cincinnati 2-0 to finish with 77 points, breaking Inter Miami’s single-season record of 74 points set in 2024.

Saturday’s regular-season finale saw Ian Fray put Miami ahead in the 14th minute following a corner kick from Messi. Luis Suárez doubled the lead in the 33rd minute with a close-range tap-in after Germán Berterame headed Messi’s corner toward the goal. Rodrigo De Paul extended the advantage to 3-0 in the 42nd minute with a strike from outside the penalty area.

Charlotte mounted a second-half comeback. Liel Abada scored in the 50th and 55th minutes, and Rodolfo Aloko equalized in the 90th minute by putting away a rebound after Tyger Smalls hit the post.

Inter Miami holds home-field advantage for its upcoming best-of-three first-round playoff series against the seventh-seeded Columbus Crew.

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