Inter Miami CF Forward Lionel Messi Voted MLS Player of the Matchday for Matchday 11

NEW YORK (Monday, April 29, 2024) – Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday for Matchday 11 of the 2024 MLS season.

Messi scored two goals and added an assist in Inter Miami CF’s 4-1 victory over the New England Revolution in front of 65,612 fans at Gillette Stadium (Watch MLS Wrap-Up Discuss Messi’s Performance Here). With three combined goals and assists in the win, Messi became the first player in MLS history to record multiple goal contributions in five consecutive games. The World Cup winner has also recorded 16 goal contributions (nine goals, seven assists) in his first seven games of the 2024 season, the most by a player in MLS history in his first seven games of a season and three more than the previous record holders Thierry Henry (13 in 2012) and Carlos Vela (13 in 2019). Messi has led Miami to a 6-2-3 record as the clubs leads MLS in points per game (1.91), goals scored (26), and goal differential (plus-10).

After falling behind in the opening minute of the match, Miami equalized when Robert Taylor found Messi between two defenders, who slotted his finish at the near post in the 32nd minute (Watch Here). The Herons took the lead in the 68th minute as Sergio Busquets played a pass through several Revolution players and Messi passed the ball into the net from close range for a 2-1 advantage (Watch Here). After Homegrown midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi scored in the 83rd minute for Miami (Watch Here), Messi added an assist on Luis Suárez’s strike in the 89th minute that wrapped up the 4-1 win (Watch Here).

Messi has now earned two of the last three MLS Player of the Matchday honors after taking home the award for his performance on Matchday 9. Messi and Suárez are the first pair of teammates to earn multiple Player of the Matchday honors in the first 11 matchdays to begin a season since David Beckham and Landon Donovan for the LA Galaxy in 2008. Miami has earned four of the first 10 Player of the Matchdays, becoming the first club to do this since the LA Galaxy in 2021.

The Herons can extend their three-game winning streak and lead in the Supporters’ Shield standings as they return home to host the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, May 4 (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.