Inter Miami CF Forward Lionel Messi Voted MLS Player of the Matchday for Matchday 12

Messi becomes second player in MLS history to win three Player of the Matchday honors in a four-matchday span

NEW YORK (Monday, May 6, 2024) – Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday for Matchday 12 of the 2024 MLS season.

Messi made MLS history by becoming the first player to ever record five assists and six goal contributions in a single match as part of Miami’s 6-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls (Watch Highlights From His Record-Breaking Performance Here). All six of Messi’s goal contributions (one goal, five assists) came in the second half. Miami’s six second-half goals were also tied for the most in a single half in league history. Messi has produced an MLS-high 22 goal contributions (10 goals, 12 assists) in just 675 minutes this season and he is the first player in club history with at least 10 goals and 10 assists in a single season. With a goal contribution in each of his first eight games, the Argentine is the third player in league history to accomplish this feat, alongside Cobi Jones (nine in 1998) and Clint Dempsey (eight in 2015).

With Messi’s play, Miami has averaged 2.66 goals scored per game, which would match the MLS record in a single season, set by the LA Galaxy in 1998. The Herons currently lead MLS in points (24), points per game (2.00), wins (seven), goals scored (32), and goal differential (+14). Over the last four games, the club has scored 16 goals with at least three goals in each match.

Miami trailed 1-0 entering the second half but equalized in the 48th minute when Messi found new signing Matías Rojas, whose long-ranged effort found the top corner of the net (Watch Here). After a Red Bulls defender turned the ball over, Messi gave Miami the advantage with a left-footed finish in the 50th minute (Watch Here). In the 62nd minute, Messi found himself surrounded by multiple defenders, but spotted Rojas making a darting run and played a diagonal pass through the defense, which Rojas scored with an adept chip over the goalkeeper (Watch Here). Seven minutes later, the Argentine legend picked out Luis Suárez in the box who acrobatically volleyed the ball into the side netting for a 4-1 lead (Watch Here). Messi picked up another assist on a quick passing combination with Suárez in the 75th minute (Watch Here) and then set the MLS record in the 81st minute as he found Suárez again to help complete the Uruguayan’s hat trick (Watch Here).

Messi has earned three of the last four MLS Player of the Matchday honors in the same season, becoming the second player in MLS history to accomplish this feat alongside former New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry in 2012 (Matchdays 3, 4, and 5). The last player to earn three Player of the Matchday honors within the first 12 to begin a season was Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández for the LA Galaxy in 2021. With his three Player of the Matchday honors, Messi has already tied Leonardo Campana for the most in club history.

Miami and Messi will look to extend their record-breaking start as they aim for their first road win at Stade Saputo in club history when they travel to face CF Montréal on Saturday, May 11 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).

The MLS Player of the Matchday is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an X (formerly known as Twitter) fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.