Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi has won the Major League Soccer (MLS) Golden Boot for the second consecutive season after finishing the 2026 regular season as the league’s top scorer with 26 goals.
The Argentine forward secured the award on Saturday despite failing to score in Miami’s 3-3 draw against Charlotte FC at Nu Stadium on the final day of the regular season.
Messi provided two corner assists as Inter Miami surrendered a three-goal lead to settle for a point. The result left the club second in the Eastern Conference with 60 points.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner became the first player to claim the MLS Golden Boot in successive seasons. FC Dallas striker Petar Musa finished second in the scoring standings with 22 goals despite failing to score in his side’s 3-1 win over Colorado.
Inter Miami appeared to be heading for a comfortable win after Ian Fray opened the scoring in the 14th minute, capitalising on a loose ball following Messi’s corner.
Luis Suarez doubled the hosts’ advantage in the 33rd minute with a header from another Messi corner before Rodrigo De Paul made it 3-0 ahead of half-time.
However, Charlotte mounted a second-half comeback, with Liel Abada scoring twice before Rodolfo Aloko completed the recovery with a 90th-minute equaliser.
Messi struck the post in stoppage time as Inter Miami missed the chance to secure all three points.
Despite the draw, Miami finished second in the Eastern Conference, earning home advantage for the first two rounds of the play-offs. They will face Columbus in the opening round.
Meanwhile, Nashville SC finished top of the Eastern Conference with 77 points after beating Cincinnati 2-0, setting a new MLS record for the most points earned in a regular season.
Nashville surpassed Inter Miami’s previous record of 74 points, set in 2024.
New England finished third with 58 points despite a 1-0 defeat to Orlando City, while Columbus secured seventh place with a 4-3 victory over Chicago to avoid the wild-card round.
