Major League Soccer (MLS) announced today that Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi was named the Landon Donovan MLS 2024 Most Valuable Player. The Argentine helped lead the team to its best regular season to date, recording the most wins, goals and points in club history and winning its first-ever Supporters’ Shield title in historic fashion, securing the MLS single-season points record secured (74).

Messi accepted the award at a special surprise ceremony at Chase Stadium, where Inter Miami Academy players joined together in an MVP formation to deliver the exciting news. After taking a look at the children from the stands, Messi walked onto the field, where MLS commissioner Don Garber greeted him and pointed him to the base of the V in the MVP formation; Messi’s three sons waited there with the trophy in hand to capture the moment. After receiving the trophy, six academy players turned to Messi and gave short emotional speeches about why Messi is the MVP in their eyes.

“It is truly an honor for me to receive this award from all of you,” Messi said to the more than 250 Inter Miami CF Academy players who surprised him with this moment. “It makes me proud to watch you all train. I am very happy to be here every day. I am very happy to be in this city, in this club that is growing… It is a joy to see how you grow day by day. I invite you to continue fighting and striving for your dreams.”

Messi was named Inter Miami CF 2024 Club MVP and MLS Best XI earlier this week. In his historic 2024 season, he also became the club’s all-time top scorer with a hat trick against the New England Revolution on MLS Decision Day and scored 33 goals for Inter Miami, surpassing the 32-goal mark set by fellow attacker and teammate Leonardo Campana at the start of the season.

Messi finished the 2024 MLS regular season leading the league with 36 goal contributions (20 goals, 16 assists), which was the fifth-most in a single season in league history. Messi averaged 2.18 goal involvements per 90 minutes this season, which is the best goal involvements per 90 minutes in MLS history. The Miami captain joined Carlos Vela (LAFC, 34 goals, 15 assists) in 2019 and Sebastian Giovinco in 2015 (Toronto FC, 22 goals, 16 assists) as the only players in MLS history with at least 20 goals and 15 assists in a single Game season. In his 19 MLS appearances this season, the striker scored or assisted in 15 of those games and contributed multiple goals 11 times.

Messi’s brilliance was crucial for a team that set the MLS single-season points record (74) with a dramatic comeback win on decision day. Inter Miami Miami only lost one regular season game with Messi in the lineup, with a record of 12-1-6 and an average of 2.68 goals per game in those games. Along with the MLS points record, the club became the third team in league history to win 22 games in a regular season and the first to record at least 11 home wins and 11 away wins (excluding the Shootout Era).

The Argentine striker received several individual league awards in 2024, being named Michelob Ultra’s MLS Player of the Month six times (matchdays 9, 11, 12, 32, 36 and 38) and MLS Player of the Month twice (in April). of the month and October). Messi joins Carlos Vela (2019) and Jason Kreis (1999) as the only players in MLS history to win the MLS Player of the Matchday award six times in a single season.

As winners of the Supporters’ Shield, Inter Miami qualified to participate in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, marking the team’s second consecutive season participating in the competition. By winning the fan shield, the team qualified for the new FIFA Club World Cup™. Inter Miami will open the tournament as host team and play the opening match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup™ in its hometown of Miami.

Messi is the first player in Inter Miami history to be named Landon Donovan MLS MVP and the tenth South American-born player to receive the honor. He is the fifth Argentine in MLS history to do so, alongside Luciano Acosta (FC Cincinnati, 2023), Diego Valeri (Portland Timbers, 2017), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew, 2008) and Christian Gómez (DC United, 2006). won the award. Only the United States (eight) has had more Landon Donovan MLS MVP winners than Argentina in the award’s history.

Messi finished ahead of Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernández, Portland Timbers midfielder Evander, DC United’s Christian Benteke and his Inter Miami teammate Luis Suárez to take home the award.

Since 1996, the Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award has been presented to the individual determined to be the most valuable to his or her club through a survey of players, club technical staff and select media. Below is a breakdown of the voting results for this year:

A complete list of Landon Donovan MLS MVP winners can be found below: