Lionel Messi’s 2025 MLS season has been another chapter of record-breaking consistency from football’s most decorated player.
The Inter Miami captain scored 29 goals and provided 19 assists, finishing with 48 total goal contributions which was just one short of Carlos Vela’s 2019 record and he has 1.03 goals-per-game average which is the second best in MLS history despite missing matches through injury.
Messi also became only the third player since 2005 to score at least 29 goals in a single season and the first to record 10 multi-goal games.
He has also earned six consecutive Player of the Matchday awards which took his career tally to 12, trailing only Landon Donovan and Jeff Cunningham.
Messi is the only player to win these both award
One of the most extraordinary facts about Lionel Messi’s career is that the Rosario-born superstar stands alone as the only player ever to win both the Golden Boy award and the Ballon d’Or
Argentine won the Golden Boy award on December 14, 2005 at 18 years and 173 days while playing for FC Barcelona.
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He was chosen ahead of Wayne Rooney and Lukas Podolski which marked the start of an extraordinary career.
🚨 𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗭𝗬 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧: Lionel Messi is the only player to have won the Golden Boy and the Ballon d'Or as well. 🪄 pic.twitter.com/jEXChW3DDK
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) October 21, 2025
Messi also remains the only footballer to have followed that youth honor with eight Ballon d’Or titles, won between 2009 and 2023.
His first came at 22 and his last at 36, covering spells with Barcelona, PSG and Argentina.