Inter Miami CF Forward Lionel Messi Voted MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra for Matchday 38

Messi becomes third player in MLS history to earn the honor six different times in a single season

NEW YORK (Monday, October 21, 2024) – Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra for Matchday 38 of the 2024 MLS season.

Messi came off the bench and scored a hat trick while adding an assist as part of Miami’s comeback 6-2 victory over the New England Revolution that clinched the MLS single-season points record (74) as they lifted the Supporters’ Shield in front of their home fans (Watch Highlights From His Performance Here). The Landon Donovan MLS MVP nominee became the first player in MLS history to score three goals and produce an assist in a substitute appearance. Messi finished the season with an MLS-high 36 goal contributions (20 goals, 16 assists), which was the fifth most in league history despite only playing in 1,485 minutes. Following Messi’s hat trick and Luis Suárez’s brace in the match, Inter Miami CF became the first team in MLS history to have two players score at least 20 goals each during a single regular season.

Miami fell behind 2-0 in the first half before coming back quickly through Suárez, who scored twice in quick succession in the 40th (Watch Here) and 43rd minute (Watch Here). Miami then took the lead in the 58th minute as Jordi Alba and Messi combined to set up homegrown Benjamin Cremaschi for a 3-2 lead (Watch Here). Messi then sealed the match with his 18th and 19th goals of the season, the first coming after a terrific passing combination with Suárez in the 78th minute (Watch Here) and the second three minutes later to make it 5-2 (Watch Here). He finished off his hat trick in the 89th minute after connecting with an acrobatic volleyed cross to complete his sensational performance (Watch Here).

This is the sixth time Messi has been named MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra this season after previously doing so for his performances on Matchdays 9, 11, 12, 32, and 36. Messi joins Carlos Vela (2019) and Jason Kreis (1999) as the only players in MLS history to earn the honor six different times in a single season, with both players earning the Landon Donovan MLS MVP in those seasons.

Inter Miami CF will kick off Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One Best-of-3 Series action against the winner of the Eastern Conference Wild Card match in a standalone match on Friday, October 25 (8:30 p.m. ET) exclusively and for free on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an X (formerly known as Twitter) fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.