Lionel Messi Named Best Player of the Final MLS Regular-Season Matchday

Argentine star Lionel Messi of Inter Miami has been named the best player of the final matchday of the Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season, after an outstanding performance in which he scored three goals and provided one assist in the team’s 5–2 away victory over Nashville.

The hat-trick also secured Messi the league’s Golden Boot, as he finished the season as the top scorer. The Argentine concluded the regular season with 29 goals and 19 assists in 28 matches. These remarkable statistics also position him as one of the leading contenders for the “Most Valuable Player” award for the regular season—a title he already claimed last year.

Inter Miami finished third in the Eastern Conference and will once again face Nashville, who placed sixth, in the MLS playoffs. The series will be played in a best-of-three format, with the opening match scheduled for this Friday in Miami.