Lionel Messi keeps making history with another record breaking MLS season

Lionel Messi, ladies and gentlemen.
Inter Miami CF v Atlanta United
Inter Miami CF v Atlanta United | Rich Storry/GettyImages

We should change Lionel Messi’s name to the record-breaking man. It’s incredible; at 38 years old, he continues to shatter every possible statistic and achieve it with such ease.

Inter Miami is currently in third place in the Eastern Conference, with a chance to finish second if the Herons defeat Nashville SC and FC Cincinnati loses their game. With a spectacular performance of Messi against the Five Stripes, Las Garzas are one of the five contenders for the MLS Cup.

Nevertheless, let’s get back to the Argentine number 10 and the record he broke. The issue is that he isn’t the only one to achieve this milestone, but the only one who did it in consecutive years.

Lionel Messi is the only player who has scored at least 20 goals and delivered 10 assists two years in a row

It's remarkable that players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Carlos Vela, Diego Valeri, Sebastian Giovinco, Hany Mukhtar, Daniel Gazdag, and Denis Bouanga have also reached the milestone of 20 goals and 10 assists.

However, Lionel Messi outperformed them and achieved this record last season, 2024, and this current season, 2025. One could argue that Father Time would eventually catch Messi, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

At the verge of his career, the former FC Barcelona legend is the favourite in the MLS MVP race, battling against impressive players like Denis Bouanga and Evander. Despite what these two players could do, if nothing weird happened, Messi would become the first player to win a back-to-back MVP trophy.

Not to mention that if Inter Miami lifts the silverware known as the MLS Cup, there will be no discussion. With 27 games played in the season, he missed a few matches due to a suspension and an injury against Necaxa. Messi continued to be the MLS goalscorer with 26 goals, while also delivering 18 assists.

It is remarkable when you compare this season with the last one. During the 2024 season, Messi ended with 20 goals and 16 assists after being eliminated in the playoff’s first round against Atlanta United. This year, with one game left in the MLS regular season, the Herons’ captain already has six more goals and two more key passes.

Given his current form and scoring rhythm, Messi could finish the season by surpassing the 30-goal mark and securing two trophies, one individual and one with Inter Miami.

The GOAT doing GOAT things.

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