Messi Named Finalist for Third Consecutive MLS MVP Award
Lionel Messi has been shortlisted for the 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) Most Valuable Player award, putting the Inter Miami captain in contention to become the first player to win the honour for three consecutive seasons.
MLS announced the finalists for its 2026 Year-End Awards on Thursday, with Messi among five nominees for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award.
The Argentine forward will compete with Evander of FC Cincinnati, Guilherme of Houston Dynamo FC, Hany Mukhtar of Nashville SC and 17-year-old Cavan Sullivan of Philadelphia Union.
Messi earned his nomination after another outstanding regular season, scoring 26 goals in 31 appearances to claim the 2026 MLS Golden Boot.
He also became the first player in league history to win the Golden Boot in consecutive seasons. The Inter Miami captain finished the regular season with 17 assists, the second-highest tally in the league.
The league celebrated his achievement in a post on X on Tuesday, writing, “Another season, another Golden Boot pres. by Audi for Messi.”
Messi also won the MLS Goal of the Matchday award seven times and was named in the MLS Team of the Matchday on 13 occasions during the regular season.
He won the MLS MVP award in 2024 and 2025. A third consecutive victory would make him the first player in the league’s history to achieve the feat.
The 2026 Year-End Awards finalists represent 15 clubs, with winners scheduled to be announced throughout the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Finalists for the annual awards were selected through votes by MLS club technical staff, first-team players and selected media members, with each group accounting for 33.3 per cent of the overall results.
The Humanitarian of the Year award had a separate voting process, with club technical staff, first-team players, selected media members and community relations staff each accounting for 25 per cent of the votes.
The full list of finalists is as follows:
Landon Donovan MLS MVP
- Evander (FC Cincinnati)
- Guilherme (Houston Dynamo FC)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF)
- Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC)
- Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year
- B.J. Callaghan (Nashville SC)
- Yoann Damet (St. Louis CITY SC)
- Jesper Sørensen (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
MLS Newcomer of the Year
- Antoine Griezmann (Orlando City SC)
- Guilherme (Houston Dynamo FC)
- André Luiz (Sporting Kansas City)
MLS Young Player of the Year
- Julian Hall (Red Bull New York)
- Adri Mehmeti (Red Bull New York)
- Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
MLS Defender of the Year
- Andy Najar (Nashville SC)
- Jeisson Palacios (Nashville SC)
- Maxwell Woledzi (Nashville SC)
MLS Goalkeeper of the Year
- Roman Bürki (St. Louis CITY SC)
- Brian Schwake (Nashville SC)
- Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
MLS Comeback Player of the Year
- Ryan Gauld (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
- Nick Hagglund (FC Cincinnati)
- Eduard Löwen (San Jose Earthquakes)
MLS Humanitarian of the Year
- Paul Arriola (Seattle Sounders FC)
- Andrew Farrell (New England Revolution)
- Telasco Segovia (Inter Miami CF)
- Mason Stajduhar (Real Salt Lake)
- Brad Stuver (Austin FC)
Voting for the MLS Goal of the Year and Save of the Year awards opened on Monday, November 9, and will close on Tuesday, November 17.
The MLS Referee and Assistant Referee of the Year awards will be announced on Friday, while the league’s Best XI will be unveiled at a later date.
By Oluwafemi Shodipe.
