Lionel Messi breaks historic Argentina record after winning ninth career Golden Boot with Inter Miami
Lionel Messi has made history once again, securing the Major League Soccer Golden Boot with Inter Miami in 2025 and adding yet another prestigious accolade to his legendary career. Beyond being recognized as the league’s top scorer, the forward has now broken a long-standing Argentina record.
With a brace against Atlanta United and a hat trick versus Nashville on Saturday night, Messi pulled away in the scoring race to finish atop the list with 29 goals in the 2025 MLS season. The Argentine edged out LAFC’s Denis Bouanga and Nashville’s Sam Surridge, both with 24 goals, to claim the award.
By capturing the MLS Golden Boot, Lionel Messi has become the Argentine player with the most top-scorer titles in first-division leagues. The winger previously won eight Golden Boots in La Liga with Barcelona and has now added a ninth in a different league, the Major League Soccer.
After scoring 30 goals in the 2020–21 La Liga season, Messi claimed his eighth Golden Boot in a top-flight competition. At that point, he was tied with three other Argentine legends: Atilio García (eight Golden Boots in Uruguay’s first division), Alfredo Di Stéfano (one in Argentina, two in Colombia, and five in Spain), and Carlos Bianchi (three in Argentina, five in France).
Since leaving Barcelona in 2021, Messi struggled to contend for Golden Boots, first at PSG, where he scored six goals in his debut season and 16 in his second. In his first full MLS campaign in 2024, the Argentine tallied 21 goals but finished behind Christian Benteke, who led the league with 23. Now, in 2025, Messi stands alone among Argentine greats as the only player to win nine Golden Boots.
Messi’s nine Golden Boots: A breakdown
As the second-highest goalscorer in soccer history, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi has solidified his status as not just an elite playmaker but also one of the most prolific finishers the game has ever seen. His consistency and precision have earned him six European Golden Shoes and nine league top-scorer titles across his career.
Messi’s seasons as league and European Golden Boot winner are as follows:
- 2009/10 La Liga season (FC Barcelona): 34 goals.
- 2011/12 La Liga season (FC Barcelona): 50 goals.
- 2012/13 La Liga season (FC Barcelona): 46 goals.
- 2016/17 La Liga season (FC Barcelona): 37 goals.
- 2017/18 La Liga season (FC Barcelona): 34 goals.
- 2018/19 La Liga season (FC Barcelona): 36 goals.
Messi also claimed Spain’s Pichichi Trophy in the 2019–20 and 2020–21 La Liga seasons but narrowly missed out on the European Golden Boot. In 2019–20, his 25 goals fell short of Serie A’s Ciro Immobile, who scored 36. The following year, Messi netted 30, finishing behind Robert Lewandowski’s 41 in the Bundesliga.
Now, after adding 29 goals in the 2025 MLS season, Messi has conquered yet another league, in this case with Inter Miami, further extending his scoring legacy and reaffirming his place among the greatest players in football history.