Lionel Messi of Inter Miami has become the first player in Major League Soccer history to win consecutive Most Valuable Player awards.
MLS announced on its website Saturday that Inter Miami forward Messi was selected as the 2025 Landon Donovan MLS MVP, making him the first player ever to win back-to-back MVP honors in league history.
With this award, Messi becomes the second player to win MLS MVP twice, following Preki, who won in 1997 and 2003.
The MLS MVP award is named after Landon Donovan, a legendary forward who scored 57 goals in 157 appearances for the U.S. national team. The award has been presented since 1996, with winners selected through voting by players, club technical staff, and media.
Messi received overwhelming support in this year's MVP voting, capturing 70.43% of the vote. He finished far ahead of other nominees Anders Dreyer of San Diego (11.15%), Denis Bouanga of LAFC (7.27%), Evander of Cincinnati (4.78%), and Sam Surridge of Nashville (2.42%).
Messi delivered a spectacular season this year. In 28 regular season matches, he recorded 29 goals and 19 assists for 48 attacking points, winning the scoring title. He added 15 attacking points (6 goals, 9 assists) in the MLS Cup Playoffs, and contributed 2 assists in the MLS Cup final on Saturday to claim the MLS Cup MVP honor as well.
