Argentine football legend Lionel Messi has been named Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star played a pivotal role in helping Inter Miami achieve a record points tally during the regular season.
However, his team was eliminated in the first round of the MLS Cup play-offs in November.
At 37, Messi led the league in goal contributions, tallying 20 goals and 16 assists.
This achievement is even more remarkable considering injuries restricted him to only 19 regular season matches and two play-off appearances this year.
The MVP award, officially known as the Landon Donovan MLS MVP, is determined through votes cast by players, club technical staff, and journalists.
Messi secured 38.43% of the votes, narrowly surpassing Columbus Crew’s Cucho Hernandez, who garnered 33.7%.
The award has previously been won by notable footballers such as Landon Donovan, Republic of Ireland’s Robbie Keane, and Spain’s David Villa.