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Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi won the 2026 MLS Golden Boot with 26 goals.
Across the last three campaigns, Lionel Messi has accumulated 75 regular-season goals. (AP Photo)
Lionel Messi will turn 40 next year. Has retired from international football. His appetite for goals remains unsatiated.
The Argentine maestro has another historic achievement to his extraordinary career, becoming the first player in Major League Soccer (MLS) history to win the Golden Boot in consecutive seasons after finishing the 2026 regular season as the league’s leading scorer with 26 goals.
The Inter Miami captain finished the campaign four goals ahead of FC Dallas striker Petar Musa, who found the net 22 times. Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Brian White followed in third place with 20 goals. The latest honour also puts Messi in an exclusive group, making him just the sixth player to win the MLS Golden Boot more than once.
Despite playing only 31 regular-season games in his fourth MLS campaign, Messi once again proved difficult for opposing defences to contain. Alongside his 26 goals, the Argentine recorded 17 assists, giving him 43 goal contributions for the season, the third-highest total ever achieved in a single MLS campaign.
His efficiency in front of goal was equally impressive. Messi led the league with an average of 0.87 goals per game and shared first place for multi-goal performances after scoring more than once in six matches. He also finished second in goals per 90 minutes, registering an average of 0.91.
Perhaps even more remarkable was the manner in which Messi reached his scoring total. Just one of his 26 goals came from the penalty spot, meaning he scored 25 times from open play and other non-penalty situations. That is the second-highest non-penalty goal tally in a single MLS season, with the record also belonging to Messi after his 28 such goals in 2025.
The 39-year-old’s latest scoring title further underlines his remarkable consistency. Having scored 29 regular-season goals last year, Messi became only the second player in MLS history to reach at least 25 goals in consecutive seasons.
His numbers over a longer period are just as impressive. Messi has scored 75 regular-season goals across the past three campaigns, a figure bettered by only one player over any three-season stretch in MLS history. He has also become just the second player to score at least 20 goals in three consecutive seasons, joining 2023 Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga.
Beyond his finishing ability, Messi has continued to redefine attacking productivity in the competition. His 43 goal contributions in 2026 made him the first player in MLS history to record at least 40 in two successive seasons.
The gap between Messi and his closest competitors becomes even clearer when looking at the combined numbers from 2024 to 2026. The Inter Miami star has registered 127 goals and assists during that period, comfortably ahead of Evander, whose 98 contributions represent the next-best total. Messi’s advantage stands at 28.
Another Golden Boot, another place in the record books. Messi’s latest accomplishment is further evidence of his extraordinary impact on MLS, where the Argentine continues to set new standards for scoring, creativity and sustained attacking excellence.
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Ask News18Lionel Messi became the first player in MLS history to win the Golden Boot in consecutive seasons, finishing the 2026 regular season as the leading scorer with 26 goals.
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Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
November 08, 2026, 14:35 IST
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