Lionel Messi has taken the Major League Soccer (MLS) by storm since completing a Bosman move to Inter Miami in July 2023. The 38-year-old has won the Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player (MVP) award twice, in 2024 and 2025.
And, a pundit has claimed the attacker will continue to win the award in the near future.
Pundit Says Lionel Messi’s Dominance in MLS To Continue
During a recent chat with GOAL, former Wales international Robert Earnshaw was asked whether the Argentina legend would be named the MLS MVP on an annual basis.
“As long as he is playing at the level he is playing at, absolutely. The reason I say that, it’s so easy to underestimate and just think of what we know from previous players when they hit those kind of ages, late-30s, there is a drop down. This is a player who is unbelievable. As a fan, as a neutral, looking at him just as a player, it is extraordinary,” the ex-Vancouver Whitecaps, Toronto FC, and Chicago Fire attacker responded.
Earnshaw, who played in the Premier League for West Bromwich Albion and Derby County, also revealed why he believes the Inter Miami captain will win more MVP awards.
“It’s spectacular what we are able to see. He’s 38. He’s one of the best dribblers, he’s one of the best passers, one of the best creators, his imagination is better than anybody, he can score goals and finish. For as long as he continues that, he is going to continue winning the MVP, because he is the MVP. He is the MVP of the whole league,” he added.
While heaping more praise on the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, Earnshaw suggested Inter Miami would have been trophyless in the last 30 months without Messi.
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“When you are on that level, you really and truly lift a whole league, never mind your team. Put it this way, without him, Inter Miami don’t win their first title. Without him, Inter Miami are nowhere near the level when it comes to the attention and the aura that is at the club right now. He is the MVP and will continue to be,” Earnshaw concluded.
Last December, Messi became the first player in MLS history to win the MVP award in back-to-back campaigns. He finished ahead of Anders Dreyer, Denis Bouanga, Evander, and Sam Surridge in the voting phase to win the 2025 MLS MVP honor.
The Barcelona legend scored 29 goals and provided 19 assists in 28 regular-season outings for Inter Miami in 2025. He also registered six goals and nine assists in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs, leading the Herons to their maiden MLS Cup glory in the process.
