Messi earns 15th MLS Player of the Matchday honor, closing on Donovan's record 19 | OneFootball

Only Landon Donovan, with 19, has more Player of the Matchday honors

To absolutely no one’s surprise, Major League Soccer named Lionel Messi its Player of the Matchday after he had five goal contributions Saturday in Inter Miami’s 7-1 thrashing of CF Montréal.

The Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina legend scored four goals and added an assist to longtime friend and teammate Luis Suárez.

The Player of the Matchday award was Messi’s third this season and 15th since beginning his MLS career midway through the 2023 season. Only U.S. Men’s National Team and L.A. Galaxy legend Landon Donovan has more, earning the honor 19 times in 384 total MLS appearances. Messi’s 15 awards have come in just 81 league matches.

"I'll say it again: I don't have any qualifiers for such soccer beauty," Inter Miami interim coach Guillermo Hoyos said after Saturday’s match. "There are so many things combined that leave you at a loss for words, no?

"I don't think he's a normal soccer player."

Messi has scored four or more goals nine times in his career:

Clint Mathis holds the record for most goals in an MLS match, scoring five for the MetroStars against the Dallas Burn on Aug. 26, 2000.