Inter Miami wrapped up their MLS regular season on Saturday with a 5–2 win over Nashville SC. At the final whistle, Lionel Messi secured the league’s Golden Boot, something he’s managed multiple times in his career—just like Cristiano Ronaldo.
Over the course of the 2025 campaign, Messi scored 29 goals in 28 matches for Inter Miami. Behind him were Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga (24) and Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge—who also scored against the Herons to reach 24 goals.
However, Messi’s contribution wasn’t limited to just goals. He also finished the season as the league leader in assists, with 19. That gives him 48 total goal contributions—a staggering figure that speaks to the Argentine star’s dominance in MLS.
Finishing as MLS top scorer is a special milestone for Messi, as it marks the first time he’s done it outside of Barcelona. Neither in his two years at Paris Saint-Germain nor in his previous two seasons with the Herons had he achieved that feat.
Lionel Messi scored 29 goals in MLS this season.
How many times has Messi been the top scorer in a league?
This year with Inter Miami, Lionel Messi became the top scorer in a domestic league for the ninth time in his career. The previous eight all came during his legendary run at Barcelona, where he spent 17 seasons between his debut in 2004 and his departure for France in 2021.
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The first time Messi led La Liga in goals was in the 2009–10 season, when he scored 34 goals at age 23. He repeated the feat two years later in 2011–12 (50 goals) and again in 2012–13 (46).
After that, the Argentine forward went four seasons without topping the scoring charts in Spain. But when he returned to the top, he did something remarkable: he finished as La Liga’s leading scorer for five consecutive seasons—2016–17 (37 goals), 2017–18 (34), 2018–19 (36), 2019–20 (25), and 2020–21 (30).
How many times has Cristiano Ronaldo been a league top scorer?
Throughout his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has led the scoring charts in every league he’s played in—at least once—something Messi did not manage during his time in Ligue 1 with PSG. Still, the Argentine forward holds the edge in total Golden Boots: Messi has finished as top scorer nine times, while Cristiano has done it on seven occasions.
Ronaldo’s first came with Manchester United, when he led the Premier League in 2007–08 with 31 goals. At Real Madrid, he repeated the feat three times in La Liga: 2010–11 (40 goals), 2013–14 (31), and 2014–15 (48).
After leaving Spain, CR7 joined another European powerhouse—Juventus—and topped the Serie A scoring chart in 2020–21 with 29 goals. Now playing for Al Nassr, he has continued to break records, finishing as top scorer in the Saudi Pro League in both full seasons he’s played: 35 goals in 2023–24 and 25 in 2024–25.
