Messi repeats Golden Boot feat: Inter Miami star leads league in scoring again
The 39-year-old forward finished with 26 goals and 17 assists, joining a small group of players to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
By Nia Foster ·
Lionel Messi won the 2026 Major League Soccer Golden Boot on Monday, becoming the first player in league history to claim the scoring title in consecutive years. The Inter Miami forward finished the regular season with a league-high 26 goals. He also recorded 17 assists, totaling 43 goal contributions to lead the league.
Messi outscored FC Dallas striker Petar Musa, who tallied 22 goals, and Nashville SC forward Sam Surridge, who scored 21. The Argentine forward had already secured the award in 2025 with 29 goals and 19 assists. His performance this season follows his recent success on the international stage, where he helped Argentina reach the 2026 World Cup final and won the Silver Boot.
With this second title, Messi joins an exclusive group of six players to win the MLS Golden Boot twice. The other recipients include Bradley Wright-Phillips, Chris Wondolowski, Jeff Cunningham, Taylor Twellman, and Preki. Messi, who announced his retirement from the national team earlier this year, remains a strong contender for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award. The league will announce the MVP winner at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, a date that coincides with the Golden Boot announcement.
If selected, Messi would become the first player to win the MVP award three times. His individual accolades come as Inter Miami prepares for the postseason. The No. 2 seed will face the No. 7 seed Columbus Crew in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs. The two teams will play a best-of-three series to determine which side advances to the next stage of the tournament.
Messi also received recognition from the global player union FIFPRO, which named him to the World XI team on Monday. The selection resulted from a poll in which nearly 20,000 players from around the world voted for their preferred best team. This marks the 18th year Messi has appeared in the World XI, with his last prior selection occurring in 2023.
The FIFPRO vote placed Messi in a forward line alongside Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Lamine Yamal. Harry Kane, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner, was not included in the final lineup. Messi is the only men's World XI player representing a club outside of Europe. The only other selection from a national team outside Europe was Achraf Hakimi, the right back for Paris Saint-Germain and the Morocco national team.
The full men's lineup featured David Raya in goal for Arsenal. The defensive line consisted of Pau Cubarsi from Barcelona, Achraf Hakimi from Paris Saint-Germain, and Nuno Mendes from Paris Saint-Germain. In midfield, Jude Bellingham from Real Madrid, Rodri from Manchester City and Barcelona, and Vitinha from Paris Saint-Germain were selected. The attacking unit was completed by Haaland from Manchester City, Mbappe from Real Madrid, Messi from Inter Miami, and Yamal from Barcelona.
