Messi Wins Second Straight MLS Golden Boot, First Back-to-Back Winner in League History

Lionel Messi has won the 2026 MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi, finishing as the league top scorer for the second straight season with 26 goals for Inter Miami. The award was confirmed by Major League Soccer after the regular season ended on Saturday, November 7.

Messi is the first player in MLS history to win the Golden Boot in back-to-back seasons. He is also the sixth player to win the honor twice.

Four goals clear of the field

Messi scored his 26 goals in 31 matches. FC Dallas striker Petar Musa finished second with 22 goals, and Nashville SC striker Sam Surridge was third with 21.

The scoring title was only part of the season. Messi also recorded 17 assists, giving him 43 goal contributions, the best total in the league in 2026. At 39, he led both the goals list and the combined list across the full regular season.

On the final day, Messi did not score. Inter Miami drew 3-3 with Charlotte FC on Saturday, and his 26 goals still held up as the winning total once the last matches finished.

A short list of two-time winners

The back-to-back win puts Messi in a small group. The five earlier two-time winners are Preki, who won in 1997 and 2003, Taylor Twellman in 2002 and 2005, Jeff Cunningham in 2006 and 2009, Chris Wondolowski in 2010 and 2012, and Bradley Wright-Phillips in 2014 and 2016. None of them won in consecutive seasons.

His first Golden Boot came a year ago. In 2025, Messi scored 29 goals and added 19 assists to win the award for the first time. The 2026 total of 26 goals is lower, but the result is the same, and the consecutive wins are a league first.

Playoffs come next

Inter Miami finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Miami will face the No. 7 seed Columbus Crew in a Round One Best-of-3 series in the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs.

One more honor could follow. Messi could become the first three-time winner of the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award. He won it in 2024, when Miami claimed the Supporters Shield, and again in 2025, when Miami won the MLS Cup. No MVP result for 2026 has been announced, and the Golden Boot is the award that is settled.