Legendary Lionel Messi named MLS MVP despite missing nearly half the season

It was a rare instance of Lionel Messi stepping on a soccer field and having no idea what was happening.

There they were, more than 250 Inter Miami academy players, a slew of kids lined up at midfield in a formation that spelled out three letters: MVP. And when Messi saw his children, he realized they were holding a trophy.

That's how Messi learned he was Major League Soccer's best player in 2024.

Messi is the MLS MVP, even after a season where the forward missed 15 of Inter Miami's 34 regular-season matches with injuries or commitments to Argentina's national team. He factored into a league-high 36 goals — scoring 20, assisting on 16 others — for the highest rate per 90 minutes in MLS history.

"Truly, it is an honour for me to receive this award from all of you," Messi told the academy players.

MLS revealed the voting results Friday. Messi edged out Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernandez for the award, which is determined by a poll of players, club technical staff and select media members. The club voters preferred Hernandez over Messi by a slight margin; Messi was the choice of 41 per cent of players and 43 per cent of media.

"Unless you're living in the world of global football, it's hard to imagine the overall appeal and the massive popularity and stardom that Leo Messi has," said MLS commissioner Don Garber, who was also at Inter Miami's stadium for the surprise MVP presentation that occurred Wednesday night. "I mean, he is Michael Jackson meeting Taylor Swift, and he's playing in our league."

Messi wound up with 38.4 per cent of the average vote, while Hernandez got 33.7, D.C. United's Christian Benteke (7.1 rounded out the top five in the voting.

Messi's win capped a 2024 campaign where he led Inter Miami to the