Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi’s stellar performance against Nashville SC on Saturday night earn him Major League Soccer (MLS) Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra honors for Matchday 39.
Messi finished off his 2025 regular season in spectacular fashion, with three goals and an assist in Inter Miami’s 2-5 victory on the road over Nashville SC on Decision Day.
Entering Decision Day with a two-goal lead in the race for the league’s scoring title, Messi brought his season-ending goal total to 29 as he captured the Golden Boot presented by Audi. Messi became the third player since 2005 to score at least 29 goals in a Golden Boot-winning season, joining Josef MartÃnez (31 in 2018) and Carlos Vela (34 in 2019), while his 1.03 goals-per-game average is second to only Vela’s 2019 campaign (1.10 goals per game) among Golden Boot winners since 2005. Notably, twenty-eight of Messi’s 29 goals this regular season came away from the penalty spot, the most in a single season in league history by three goals, with his lone penalty-kick goal in 2025 coming in the finale.
Messi also extended his single-season MLS record with his 10th multi-goal game of 2025. With his assist on the Club’s fifth and final goal against Nashville, the Argentine legend also secured a share of the league lead in assists with 19, matching San Diego FC’s Anders Dreyer. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is the second player in MLS annals to lead the league in both goals scored (29) and assists (19), joining Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco in 2015 (22 goals, 16 assists).
This is Messi’s sixth Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra honor of the season, becoming the first player in MLS history to win the honor six times in consecutive seasons. His 12 Player of the Matchday accolades are tied with Bradley Wright-Phillips (12) for the third-most in MLS history, trailing only Landon Donovan (19) and Jeff Cunningham (14).
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 Instagram fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
