Following the announcement of Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi being named 2024 Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player following a stellar second year with the Club in which he tallied an impressive 23 goals and 19 assists in 25 appearances across all competitions, let’s relive some of the Argentine maestro’s top moments. It was a tough task to name just five highlights of his magic throughout the campaign, but below we present Messi’s top five moments throughout the 2024 season.
Goals in Club’s First Two-Ever Concacaf Champions Cup Matches
Messi’s name is synonymous with history, so it's no surprise that he bagged Inter Miami’s historic first-ever goal in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the region’s premium and most prestigious club competition. Our Club captain achieved the feat getting onto the scoresheet in the team’s 2-2 draw on the road against Nashville SC in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the 2024 edition of the tournament on March 7.
The forward then struck again in the return fixture on March 13, scoring Inter Miami’s second goal on the night to secure a 3-1 win in the first-ever international club competition match at Chase Stadium.
Historic Six Goal Contributions Against NYRB
One of Messi’s signature performances came in the resounding 6-2 win over the New York Red Bulls in Matchday 12 on May 4, breaking several MLS record and establishing a new Club record:
- First player to ever record five assists in one MLS match, and first player to register six goal contributions in a single MLS match.
- With a goal contribution in each of his first eight games of the MLS season, the Argentine became the third player in league history to accomplish this feat, alongside Cobi Jones (nine in 1998) and Clint Dempsey (eight in 2015).
- First player in Club history with at least 10 goals and 10 assists in a single season.
Return, Brace to Top Philadelphia
In what marked his first MLS appearance since June 1 due to injury and international duty to help Argentina clinch the Conmebol 2024 Copa América title, Messi led the way for Inter Miami with two goals and an assist to secure a key 2-1 win at home over the Philadelphia Union at Chase Stadium on Sept. 14.
Notably, with his three goal contributions in his 19th career MLS regular season match,he surpassed Sebastian Giovinco (29 games) as the fastest player in MLS history to record at least 15 goals and 15 assists – accomplishing the feat in 10 fewer games.
Brace and Supporters’ Shield Secured in Columbus
Messi once again rose to the occasion in the team’s visit to the Columbus Crew on Oct. 2, scoring a crucial brace to guide Inter Miami to a 2-3 victory to clinch its first-ever Supporters’ Shield title.
Historic Hat Trick to Close Out Regular Season in Style
Another night for the books for both Messi and Inter Miami came on MLS Decision Day in the final matchday of the team’s record-breaking 2024 regular season on Oct. 19. He entered the match as a second-half substitute to complete a remarkable comeback to earn a historic 6-2 over the New England Revolution and close out the 2024 regular season in style with the team establishing a new single-season points record in the league and once again scoring six, the most goals in a match in Club history.
Messi scored a hat trick and dished out an assist to make MLS history; with his trio of goals and an assist he became just the fifth player in MLS history to record at least 36 goal contributions in a single season, and the first player in league history to register three goals and add one assist as a substitute in a match. The hat trick also saw him make Club history, reaching 33 goals for Inter Miami to overtake Leonardo Campana (32 goals) as the Club’s all-time leading scorer.
