Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday for Matchday 11 of the 2024 MLS season.
Messi earns Player of the Matchday honors marking his second of the season, and the fourth Player of the Matchday recognition for an Inter Miami player in 2024. Messi earns the honors on the heels of a milestone performance, carving his name into MLS history with a remarkable brace and assist, shattering the previous record for the most goal contributions in a player's first seven games of an MLS season. Moreover, Messi became the first player to achieve multiple goal contributions in five consecutive MLS matches.
Messi scored two goals and added an assist in Inter Miami CF’s resounding 1-4 victory over the New England Revolution in front of a record home-crowd of 65,612 fans at Gillette Stadium. With a combined three goals and assists in the win, Messi became the first player in MLS history to record multiple goal contributions in five consecutive games. The Argentine maestro has also recorded 16 goal contributions (nine goals, seven assists) in his first seven games of the 2024 season, the most by a player in MLS history in his first seven games of a season and three more than the previous record holders Thierry Henry (13 in 2012) and Carlos Vela (13 in 2019). Messi has led Miami to a 6-2-3 record in 2024 as the club leads MLS in points per game (1.91), goals scored (26), and goal differential (plus-10).
Messi's historic performance began with an equalizer in the 32nd minute, as he calmly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper with his left foot to level the match at 1-1. This goal marked Messi's eighth of the regular season and his 10th across all competitions. The goal saw Messi make MLS history as he registered his 14th goal contribution (eight goals, six assists) in the first seven games of his season to become the first player to achieve the feat and surpass previous league record holders Thierry Henry and Carlos Vela (13 each). Additionally, Messi also became the sixth player all-time with a goal contribution in each of his first seven MLS games of a season.
In the second half, Messi continued to lead the Herons to their comeback victory, netting his second goal of the match and giving Inter Miami the lead. This goal marked Messi's ninth of the regular season and his 11th across all competitions this 2024 campaign. With this goal, Messi achieved yet another milestone in MLS history, becoming the first player ever to record multiple goal contributions in five consecutive matches. Furthermore, he claimed the top spot in the league's 2024 regular season scoring charts.
Messi’s scintillating form continued into the final minutes of the match, setting up Luis Suárez in the 89th minute to seal Inter Miami's 1-4 victory. Messi's assist to Suárez marked his seventh of the regular season and extended his record-breaking tally of goal contributions in the first seven games of a season to a remarkable total of 16 (nine goals, seven assists).
Messi has now earned two of the last three MLS Player of the Matchday honors after taking home the award for his performance on Matchday 9. Messi and Suárez are the first pair of teammates to earn multiple Player of the Matchday honors in the first 11 matchdays to begin a season since David Beckham and Landon Donovan for the LA Galaxy in 2008. Miami has earned four of the first 10 Player of the Matchdays, becoming the first club to do this since the LA Galaxy in 2021.
The MLS Player of the Matchday 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.
