Lionel Messi breaks silence after winning back-to-back MLS MVP awards in Inter Miami’s 2025 historic season

Lionel Messi has been awarded the Landon Donovan MVP award once again for his performance in the 2025 Major League Soccer season, becoming the first player in league history to win it in consecutive years. After receiving the honor, the Argentine star broke his silence, reflecting on the season and the significance of the moment.

Against the Vancouver Whitecaps, Messi helped Inter Miami achieve one of the club’s biggest goals since its founding in 2018 by lifting the 2025 MLS Cup on Saturday. The trophy effectively confirmed what most fans already expected, Messi’s crowning as the league’s MVP, a recognition the Herons’ captain officially received during the opening of the Messi Cup on Tuesday.

After accepting the award, Messi took the microphone and looked back on the 2025 campaign: “Well, first of all, I’m extremely grateful for this recognition. In fact, it’s always nice to receive individual awards. But of course, I want to share it with my teammates, because I also won the Golden Boot award, and that’s thanks to all of their help.”

As Messi mentioned, with 29 goals in 28 regular-season games, he secured the Golden Boot, then added another six during the postseason. “I’m so happy to have received this award, and to be the first in the history of this competition to win it two years in a row, and I’m extremely grateful for that,” the Argentine concluded, highlighting not only this, but also the performance from last season.

Last season, Messi featured in only 25 matches across all competitions for Inter Miami but still produced 20 goals in MLS play. In 2025, the No. 10 nearly doubled those totals, showing not only his continued adaptation to the league but also that his high level of play is far from declining.

More Messi records in the 2025 MLS season

After setting a high bar in 2024 with numbers comparable to some of the league’s greatest players, Messi elevated his standard again in 2025. Despite dealing with fitness issues early in the season, the forward dominated the league throughout the year, breaking numerous records along the way.

Some of the records Messi set during the 2025 MLS season include:

• Fastest player to score 50 goals in MLS history (53 games).
• Most braces scored in consecutive MLS games (5).
• First player in league history to win six Player of the Matchday honors in consecutive seasons.
• First player in league history with at least five Player of the Month honors in a two-season span.
• Most goal contributions in a single MLS postseason with 15 (6 goals and 9 assists).
• Most games with at least three goal contributions in a single MLS season (9).
• Most games with multiple goals in a single MLS season (10).