Lionel Messi Conquers MLS in 2025: The Golden Boot is Just the Beginning

The man’s dedication is almost superhuman. The very next morning, he was back on a plane, rejoining his Argentina teammates for training. Less than 72 hours after his club heroics, he was playing in an international friendly, right back at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium. It’s a schedule that would break most athletes, but for Lionel Messi, it’s just another week at the office.

This late-season push gave him a critical two-goal buffer over his nearest rival, LAFC’s Denis Bouanga. Bouanga, a formidable scorer in his own right, was hampered by his own international duties with Gabon and couldn’t find the net on the final day, leaving the path clear for the Argentine.

Rewriting the Record Books

It feels like every time Lionel Messi steps onto the pitch, another record is in jeopardy. This season was no exception. He didn’t just win the Golden Boot; he sprinted to it. He became the fastest player in league history to reach 50 regular-season goals, achieving the milestone in just 53 appearances. He snatched the record from the famously immodest Zlatan Ibrahimović, who did it in 54 games.

As if that wasn’t enough, he also set a new MLS record with an astounding 10 multi-goal games in a single season. He now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with legends like Vela, Josef Martínez, and Ibrahimović as one of the few players to ever score 30 or more goals in a single MLS campaign. The numbers are staggering, but they only tell part of the story. The real magic is in watching him play—the effortless control, the visionary passes, the explosive finishes that leave defenders and goalkeepers grasping at air.

With the Golden Boot secured, the conversation has now inevitably shifted to the MLS MVP award. He is the undeniable favorite, and a win would make him the first player ever to claim the league’s highest individual honor in back-to-back seasons. It would be a fitting tribute to a player who has not only met the colossal hype surrounding his arrival but exceeded it in every conceivable way.

For now, though, individual accolades are being put on the back burner. The regular season is over; a new challenge awaits. Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami squad now turn their gaze to the MLS Cup playoffs. Their journey begins with a best-of-three series, fittingly, against Nashville SC—the very team he dismantled to clinch his Golden Boot. For the magician from Rosario, the quest for another trophy has just begun.