Former Barcelona and Paris St-German superstar Lionel Messi has been named Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Player. The Argentine star was given the award after he helped Inter Miami to a record regular season points tally, before his side were beaten in the first round of the MLS Cup play-offs in November.
How Lionel Messi Won the Most Valuable Player in the MLS
The 37-year-old had a league-leading 36 goal contributions, scoring 20 goals and creating 16 assists. The player was considered the most suitable for the award because all the record came despite injuries limiting him to just 19 regular season games and two play-off appearances for Inter Miami this year.
The league’s MVP is chosen by players, club technical staff and journalists. Lionel Messi received 38.43% of votes. He beat Colombus Crew’s Cucho Hernandez who got 33.7%.
The award, officially known as the Landon Donovan MLS MVP, has previously been won by former United States midfielder Donavon, Republic of Ireland’s Robbie Keane and Spain’s David Villa. Lionel Messi is the first Argentine star to win the awards.
