FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The best player in the world was the best player in Major League Soccer in 2024.

Lionel Messi has been named the 2024 MLS MVP, the league announced on Friday – another prestigious individual honor for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and Argentine World Cup champion.

Messi accepted the MVP award from MLS commissioner Don Garber and more than 250 Inter Miami youth academy players – including his three sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro – at Chase Stadium on Wednesday night.

“I would have liked to receive this award in another situation, being able to play in the [MLS Cup] final on Saturday. But that’s also what fútbol is about, overcoming yourself every day,” Messi said. “We had a big dream of being MLS champions this year. It didn’t happen. But next year, we’ll come back stronger and try again. That’s what it’s all about.”

Messi helped Inter Miami set the MLS points record with the best regular season in league history, winning the Supporters’ Shield in his first full season with the team. But they were bounced by Atlanta United in the first-round of the MLS Cup playoffs, which end Saturday when the L.A. Galaxy host the New York Red Bulls in the final.

Messi played in 19 of 34 MLS games this season, missing two months due to a right ankle injury he sustained in Argentina’s Copa America win against Colombia in July. However, Messi finished the season with 20 goals and 16 assists, leading MLS with 36 goal contributions in 2024. His 2.18 goal contributions per 90 minutes is also a league record.

Messi earned 38.43% of the MVP vote to beat out Columbus Crew’s Cucho Hernandez (33.7%), the Portland Timbers’ Evander (9.24%), D.C. United’s Christian Benteke (7.1%) and his Inter Miami teammate Luis Suarez (2.17%) for the league’s top honor. MLS players, media and club executives voted for the award.

Off the pitch, Messi also helped MLS experience a record-setting season.

More than 12.1 million fans attended MLS matches, second to only the English Premier League (14.6M) before Saturday’s final. The league is also the fastest growing social media following of any American sports league on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Messi also has the No. 1 selling MLS jersey in the league, and continues to rank No. 1 globally for adidas in jersey sales of individual players.

“Unless you’re living in the world of football, it’s hard to imagine the overall appeal and the massive popularity and stardom that Leo Messi has. He is Michael Jackson, meeting Taylor Swift, and he’s playing in our league,” Garber said Thursday during the Club World Cup draw in Miami. “It exceeded my expectations. I love what it’s done for MLS, and I hope Leo stays healthy and will stay in the league for a long time.”

If there was any doubt about Messi’s MVP candidacy, he secured the award with two of his best games in the final three matches of the season.

Messi recorded his first MLS hat trick in 11 minutes off the bench in a 6-2 win over New England Revolution on Oct. 19. The win helped Inter Miami set the regular season record with 74 points, topping New England’s mark of 73 set in 2021.

Messi scored two goals in Inter Miami’s 3-2 win over reigning MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew on Oct. 2 to secure the Supporters’ Shield title, the 46th trophy for club and country in his career.

Messi also set MLS single-match records with five assists and six total goal contributions in a 6-2 win over the New York Red Bulls on May 4.

Messi began his season with 10 goals and nine assists in an eight-game stretch with multiple goal contributions, which ranks second in MLS history behind former Galaxy standout Cobi Jones, who did so in his first nine games in 1998.

Messi and Suarez, who also scored 20 goals in his first season in MLS, became the first pair of teammates in league history to score at least 20 goals in a season.

Hernandez had 19 goals and 14 assists for the Crew, who finished second behind Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Portland’s Evander scored 15 goals with a league-high 19 assists, tied with last year’s MVP Lucho Acosta of Cincinnati. Benteke was the MLS Golden Boot winner with 23 goals for D.C. United.