Five amazing MLS records that Lionel Messi can realistically break in 2026 | OneFootball

MLS is back this weekend and Lionel Messi will have his eyes fixed on the several records that he can realistically break this year.

Since arriving in the United States in 2023, Messi has made a significant impact, both on and off the pitch.

We’ve taken a closer look at the Inter Miami star and have found five MLS records that he’s able to break this season.

Back-to-back Golden Boot awards

Amazingly, no one has ever won back-to-back Golden Boot awards in the entire history of MLS.

Five players have won two MLS Golden Boots, but none of them managed to win them in consecutive years. As of writing, the players to have won two Golden Boot awards are Preki, Taylor Twellman, Jeff Cunningham, Chris Wondolowski and Bradley Wright-Phillips.

Messi won the award last season with 29 goals and has the chance to make history if he can retain the award this season.

Highest scoring Argentine player in MLS history

It will take some effort for Messi to break this record in 2026, but it is achievable.

As things stand, Diego Valeri is the highest-scoring Argentine player in MLS history with 93 goals in 288 appearances. That record places him 16th on the overall top scorers chart.

Coming into 2026, Messi has scored 57 goals, meaning that he needs another 36 to tie level with Valeri.

First Inter Miami player to reach 100 G/A in MLS

Messi is already Inter Miami’s top scorer and assist provider with 50 goals and 28 assists under his belt in MLS.

This season, he could become the first player in the club’s history to reach 100 combined goals and assists for Inter Miami in the league.

As things stand, he’s on 78 G/A, meaning that he only needs another 22 to reach the landmark figure.

First player to win three MLS MVP awards

The Inter Miami star has won the MVP award in the last two MLS seasons, becoming the first player to ever win the award in consecutive years.

He also tied level with Preki, who is the only other player to have won it twice, having won it in 1997 and 2003.

If Messi manages to win it for a third year in a row, he’ll therefore become the first player in MLS history to have won it three times. Doing it in three consecutive years would also make it even more impressive.

Most hat-tricks in MLS history

As things stand, Messi has scored two hat-tricks in the league for Inter Miami, leaving him five short of the record that Josef Martinez currently holds.

It’s a long shot that he’s going to break this record, but it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

The last time that Messi scored five hat-tricks during a calendar year was back in 2018 when he was on fire for Barcelona.

If he manages to rekindle that sort of form in MLS this year, he could give Martinez a run for his money.