Lionel Messi just keeps writing new chapters of football greatness.
The Argentine superstar claimed his first-ever Golden Boot in Major League Soccer on Saturday, dazzling fans with a spectacular performance against Nashville SC on Decision Day 2025. With an extraordinary hat-trick, Messi widened the gap with Denis Bouanga and finished the regular season with 29 goals.
Throughout the year, the Inter Miami captain proved his worth in every match, guiding Javier Mascherano’s side to the top spots in the Eastern Conference. Messi played 28 MLS games this season and ended with 29 goals – better than one per match. Despite featuring in fewer games than rivals such as Bouanga or Sam Surridge (24), the World Cup champion once again stood out for his lethal finishing. He also improved on his 2024 campaign, when he scored 20 goals – adding nine more this time around.
Messi’s dominance in front of goal
Messi’s 2025 Golden Boot run included nine braces and his first and only league hat-trick of the year against Nashville. His remaining goals came across eight different matches for Inter Miami. “Las Garzas” won 15 of the games in which Messi scored, dropping points only three times – two draws and one loss – when their No. 10 found the net.
The return of the ‘Pichichi’
During his glorious years at FC Barcelona, Messi won the ‘Pichichi Trophy’ eight times, the most in La Liga’s history. His last top-scorer title came in the 2020–21 season, when he netted 30 goals. That changed on Saturday as the 38-year-old clinched his first Golden Boot in MLS, rekindling the hunger that defined his European dominance.
Now, as Inter Miami head into the MLS Cup Playoffs, Messi will look to carry that same brilliance forward – determined to crown his record-breaking season with a league title.
Charlesborn
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GOAT