Lionel Messi Poised To Break Fresh MLS Records In 2026 Season

Lionel Messi begins the 2026 Major League Soccer season with several milestones firmly within reach, raising the prospect of yet another record-breaking year for the Inter Miami captain.

After two prolific campaigns in the United States, the Argentine forward has already secured back-to-back league MVP awards and last season’s Golden Boot. Now, as the new term gets under way, attention has turned to the records he is most likely to surpass in the coming months.

Among the most attainable is the mark for the highest-scoring Argentine in MLS history. The record is currently held by Diego Valeri, who netted 93 goals in 288 appearances.

Lionel Messi enters the season with 57 league goals. Reaching or overtaking Valeri’s tally would require 36 more goals, a significant target but one considered realistic given his scoring rate since arriving in Florida.

Messi is also closing in on a major club landmark. He has produced 50 goals and 28 assists in MLS play for Inter Miami, giving him 78 goal contributions.

A further 22 combined goals and assists would make him the first player in the club’s history to reach 100 goal involvements in league competition. Given his central role in the team’s attacking play, that milestone could fall before the season’s end.

Another record within sight concerns individual honours. Messi has won the MLS Most Valuable Player award in each of the last two seasons, becoming the first player to claim it consecutively.

He is currently level with Preki as a two-time winner. A third MVP title would see him stand alone as the only three-time recipient in league history, and the first to achieve the feat in three successive years.

Retaining the Golden Boot is also a realistic possibility. No player has ever won the award in consecutive seasons, despite several multiple-time winners including Preki, Taylor Twellman, Jeff Cunningham, Chris Wondolowski and Bradley Wright-Phillips.

Messi topped the scoring charts last season with 29 goals, and another prolific campaign would see him set a new benchmark.

While the all-time hat-trick record remains a tougher target, it is not beyond consideration. Messi has recorded two MLS hat-tricks to date, five fewer than the seven managed by Josef Martínez. A sustained scoring run could bring that record into view.