Inter Miami wrapped up their MLS common season on Saturday with a 5–2 win over Nashville SC. On the last whistle, Lionel Messi secured the league’s Golden Boot, one thing he’s managed a number of instances in his profession—identical to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Over the course of the 2025 marketing campaign, Messi scored 29 objectives in 28 matches for Inter Miami. Behind him had been Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga (24) and Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge—who additionally scored towards the Herons to succeed in 24 objectives.
Nonetheless, Messi’s contribution wasn’t restricted to only objectives. He additionally completed the season because the league chief in assists, with 19. That offers him 48 whole aim contributions—a staggering determine that speaks to the Argentine star’s dominance in MLS.
Ending as MLS high scorer is a particular milestone for Messi, because it marks the primary time he’s achieved it outdoors of Barcelona. Neither in his two years at Paris Saint-Germain nor in his earlier two seasons with the Herons had he achieved that feat.
Lionel Messi scored 29 objectives in MLS this season.
What number of instances has Messi been the highest scorer in a league?
This 12 months with Inter Miami, Lionel Messi turned the highest scorer in a home league for the ninth time in his profession. The earlier eight all got here throughout his legendary run at Barcelona, the place he spent 17 seasons between his debut in 2004 and his departure for France in 2021.
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The primary time Messi led La Liga in objectives was within the 2009–10 season, when he scored 34 objectives at age 23. He repeated the feat two years later in 2011–12 (50 objectives) and once more in 2012–13 (46).
After that, the Argentine ahead went 4 seasons with out topping the scoring charts in Spain. However when he returned to the highest, he did one thing exceptional: he completed as La Liga’s main scorer for 5 consecutive seasons—2016–17 (37 objectives), 2017–18 (34), 2018–19 (36), 2019–20 (25), and 2020–21 (30).
What number of instances has Cristiano Ronaldo been a league high scorer?
All through his profession, Cristiano Ronaldo has led the scoring charts in each league he’s performed in—at the least as soon as—one thing Messi didn’t handle throughout his time in Ligue 1 with PSG. Nonetheless, the Argentine ahead holds the sting in whole Golden Boots: Messi has completed as high scorer 9 instances, whereas Cristiano has achieved it on seven events.
Ronaldo’s first got here with Manchester United, when he led the Premier League in 2007–08 with 31 objectives. At Actual Madrid, he repeated the feat 3 times in La Liga: 2010–11 (40 objectives), 2013–14 (31), and 2014–15 (48).
After leaving Spain, CR7 joined one other European powerhouse—Juventus—and topped the Serie A scoring chart in 2020–21 with 29 objectives. Now taking part in for Al Nassr, he has continued to interrupt data, ending as high scorer within the Saudi Professional League in each full seasons he’s performed: 35 objectives in 2023–24 and 25 in 2024–25.
