Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra for Matchday 36 of the 2024 MLS season. Notably, with the honor Messi earned his fifth POTM award this regular season.
Messi was voted Player of the Matchday following a brace in the team’s 2-3 victory over the Columbus Crew, which saw Inter Miami clinch its first-ever Supporters’ Shield title. On the season, Messi has tallied 32 goal contributions (17 goals and 15 assists), tied for the second-most in MLS, doing so in just 17 matches; his goal contribution total is just one behind Portland's Evander (33).
Among players with at least five goals, Messi leads the league in goals per 90 minutes, averaging 1.01 goals. With his first goal of the night, Miami (72 goals) became only the 10th team in MLS history to score 70 or more goals in a single season. Additionally, the Club became just the third team since 2011 to win the Supporters' Shield after missing the playoffs the previous year, following LAFC in 2022 and the San Jose Earthquakes in 2012.
Messi found the net in the 45th minute with a delicate touch past the goalkeeper and then added his second in first-half stoppage time with a spectacular 27-yard free kick.
This is the fifth 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, and 32. Messi is the fifth player in MLS history to win the award at least five times in the same season, joining Carlos Vela (six in 2019), Thierry Henry (five in 2012), Jason Kreis (six in 1999), and Cobi Jones (five in 1998).
Inter Miami will look to continue its chase for the single-season points record by winning their final two games, with the first this Saturday on the road at Toronto FC (4 p.m. ET, 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.
