MLS Told Nobody Can Stop Lionel Messi Winning MVP Award Every Year

‘Extraordinary’ Inter Miami superstar continues to defy logic and redefine American soccer

There are certain conversations in football that feel almost unnecessary, yet they keep coming back around because the subject refuses to follow the usual rules. Lionel Messi winning the MLS MVP award has quickly become one of those conversations. After claiming the honour in back-to-back seasons, the debate in the United States is no longer whether Messi will dominate, but how long the rest of Major League Soccer will be forced to live with the uncomfortable truth that stopping him may simply be impossible.

According to former MLS striker Rob Earnshaw, the league is effectively powerless. As long as Lionel Messi keeps stepping onto the pitch for Inter Miami and performing at anything close to his current level, the MVP trophy might as well have his name engraved on it in advance. Age, travel, climate, physical decline — none of the traditional arguments seem to apply to the Argentine icon, who continues to make a mockery of logic and expectation.

Messi is not just playing in MLS. He is redefining it in real time.

American dream realised as Messi keeps collecting silverware in MLS

When Messi left Paris Saint-Germain in 2023, there was curiosity, excitement and, in some corners, doubt. Was this a farewell tour? A commercial move? A gentle wind-down before retirement? Inter Miami, backed by David Beckham’s vision and ambition, were convinced otherwise. They were not signing a brand — they were signing a footballer who still believed he could decide games, titles and leagues.

Two full seasons later, the verdict is emphatic. Messi has not slowed the game down to suit his age; he has bent the league around his intelligence, technique and sheer footballing instinct. Inter Miami have lifted trophies they had never dreamed of before his arrival. The Leagues Cup, the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup now sit proudly in their cabinet, tangible proof that this project is about far more than marketing.

Individually, Messi has added yet another layer to a career already overflowing with honours. Eight Ballon d’Or awards, countless domestic titles across Europe, a World Cup with Argentina — and now multiple MLS MVP trophies to go alongside an MLS Golden Boot in 2025. Forty-three goals across all competitions that season told their own story. This was not nostalgia. This was elite performance.

For American soccer, it has been transformative. Stadiums sell out. Broadcast figures soar. Kids turn up in pink Inter Miami shirts with “Messi 10” on the back. But beyond the spectacle, there is substance. Messi is still the best player on the pitch, week after week.

MVP at 40? With Messi, anything feels possible

Lionel Messi MVP 2025 Inter Miami MLS

The most striking part of Messi’s MLS journey is not that he dominates — it is how he does it. At 38, an age when most players are adapting their game just to survive, Messi remains complete. He dribbles, creates, scores, dictates tempo and reads the game several moves ahead of everyone else.

His new contract, running through 2028, has only fuelled the conversation further. By the time that deal ends, Messi will be 41. In almost any other era, the idea of a player winning league MVP awards at that age would be laughed off. With Messi, it feels strangely reasonable.

There is a reason for that. His game has never relied solely on pace or power. It has always been built on balance, timing, vision and an understanding of space that borders on instinctive genius. As physical attributes inevitably fade, his football brain continues to operate at a level few players ever reach in their prime.

In MLS, where the physical demands are unique — long travel distances, extreme climates, artificial pitches and relentless schedules — that intelligence becomes even more valuable. Messi doesn’t fight the league’s challenges; he disarms them.

Why nobody in MLS can stop Messi winning MVP

Rob Earnshaw knows MLS intimately. He played there, scored there and understands the league’s rhythm better than most. When he says that Messi cannot be stopped, it is not hyperbole — it is an informed assessment.

Speaking to , Earnshaw was clear: as long as Messi maintains his current standards, the MVP award will remain his to lose.

What stands out, according to Earnshaw, is that Messi has defied the natural decline curve that applies to almost every footballer. Normally, players in their late thirties adapt by conserving energy, limiting dribbles and focusing on short bursts in the box. Messi has done the opposite. He still beats defenders in one-on-one situations. He still threads passes through impossibly tight spaces. He still humiliates players 15 years younger as if age is irrelevant.

And then there is the environment. MLS is not Europe. Travel alone is a challenge that many players struggle to adapt to. Different time zones, different altitudes, different pitches — all of it takes a toll. Messi absorbs it all and still looks like the sharpest footballing mind on the field.

Earnshaw’s verdict is blunt but hard to argue with: Messi is not just the MVP of Inter Miami — he is the MVP of the entire league. Remove him, and the competitive balance, attention and aura of MLS shifts dramatically.

More than numbers: Messi lifting an entire league

Statistics help explain Messi’s dominance, but they do not fully capture his impact. His presence changes how opponents set up. Teams drop deeper. Defenders hesitate. Midfielders chase shadows. The psychological effect alone is enormous.

Inter Miami, without Messi, are a good team with ambition. With him, they become a destination, a title contender and a global talking point. He elevates teammates, simplifies their decisions and creates space just by existing on the pitch.

This is why the MVP debate feels almost redundant. Value, by definition, is about influence. No player in MLS influences results, narratives and attention like Messi does. His performances do not just win games; they define seasons.

Even when he is not scoring, he is shaping matches. Drawing defenders, slowing the tempo, accelerating it at will. Younger players learn by watching him. Opponents learn painful lessons in positioning and patience.

Messi, Inter Miami and the road to 2026

Lionel Messi Inter Miami 2025

As MLS prepares for another season, Inter Miami are already building towards the future. A move into their new stadium at Freedom Park will mark another milestone for the club — and Messi will be the face of it all. The expectation is clear: another MVP push, more silverware and another year of rewriting assumptions.

Beyond MLS, there is the looming presence of the 2026 World Cup. Hosted in North America, it offers Messi one final shot at defending Argentina’s crown on the biggest stage of all. How much that factors into his MLS workload remains to be seen, but history suggests he will manage it with his usual balance and clarity.

For now, the focus remains domestic. Pre-season tours, tactical tweaks under Javier Mascherano, and the relentless expectation that comes with being Lionel Messi.

An extraordinary footballer doing extraordinary things

There comes a point where analysis gives way to appreciation. Lionel Messi in MLS is not a problem to be solved; it is a phenomenon to be witnessed. Every season he continues at this level feels like borrowed time, a gift to a league and a generation that might never see anything like it again.

The MVP awards may keep piling up. Records will continue to fall. Arguments about age will keep being disproved. And MLS, whether it likes it or not, will keep orbiting around one extraordinary footballer who refuses to slow down.

As Rob Earnshaw put it, simply and perfectly: as long as Messi plays like this, he is the MVP. Every year.