Legendary Argentine footballer Lionel Messi has been crowned the 2024 Landon Donovan Major League Soccer (MLS) Most Valuable Player, capping off an impressive debut season with Inter Miami.

In his first full MLS campaign after joining the club in July 2023, the 37-year-old superstar scored 20 goals and provided 16 assists in just 19 matches. His stellar performance helped Inter Miami achieve a league-record 74 points, though they suffered a surprising first-round playoff elimination.

The MVP award adds to Messi’s already remarkable collection of accolades, which includes a World Cup winner’s medal and a record eight Ballon d’Or trophies as the world’s best player. He becomes the first player in Inter Miami’s history to win the MLS’s highest individual honor, which was renamed in 2015 to honor former MVP Landon Donovan.

Messi joins an elite group of players to achieve at least 20 goals and 15 assists in a single MLS season, including Mexico’s Carlos Vela (2019) and Italy’s Sebastian Giovinco (2015).

The Argentine superstar was selected as MVP over a strong field of contenders, including Columbus Crew’s Cucho Hernandez, Portland Timbers’ Evander, D.C. United’s Christian Benteke, and his own Miami teammate Luis Suarez.

With his impressive debut season in MLS, Messi has solidified his status as one of the greatest footballers of all time and continues to captivate audiences around the world.