Lionel Messi breaks Argentina’s historical record

Lionel Messi continues to set new records after winning his 9th Golden Boot at Inter Miami.

Once again, Lionel Messi has made history in his illustrious career. The Argentine superstar has officially secured the MLS Golden Boot in 2025 while playing for Inter Miami, confirming his unmatched status at age 38 and breaking a national record that stood for decades.

With a brace against Atlanta United and an impressive hat-trick against Nashville during the weekend matches, Messi surged ahead in the top scorer race, finishing the season with 29 goals, surpassing Denis Bouanga (LAFC) and Sam Surridge (Nashville), who both scored 24 goals.

This Golden Boot makes Messi the Argentine player with the highest number of top scorer titles in domestic leagues worldwide. Previously, he won this title eight times in La Liga with Barcelona, and now he has added a ninth in Major League Soccer (MLS).

Before moving to the U.S., Messi’s last top scorer title was in the 2020-21 La Liga season, where he scored 30 goals. At that time, El Pulga matched the record of three Argentine legends: Atilio García (8 times in Uruguay), Alfredo Di Stéfano (8 times across Argentina, Colombia, and Spain), and Carlos Bianchi (8 times in Argentina and France).

After leaving Barcelona in 2021, Messi faced challenges in the Golden Boot race. At PSG, he scored 6 goals in his first season and 16 in the next. In the 2024 MLS season, Messi scored 21 goals but still ranked behind Christian Benteke (23 goals). However, in 2025, the Tango legend stood alone at the top, becoming the only Argentine player in history to claim 9 national top scorer titles.

With this latest achievement, Messi further solidifies his position as the second-highest goal scorer in football history, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo. Throughout his career, he has won 6 European Golden Shoes and 9 domestic top scorer titles, showcasing rare consistency and exceptional finishing ability.

The seasons Messi won top scorer titles include:

• 2009/10 (Barcelona – La Liga): 34 goals

• 2011/12 (Barcelona – La Liga): 50 goals

• 2012/13 (Barcelona – La Liga): 46 goals

• 2016/17 (Barcelona – La Liga): 37 goals

• 2017/18 (Barcelona – La Liga): 34 goals

• 2018/19 (Barcelona – La Liga): 36 goals

• 2019/20 (Barcelona – La Liga): 25 goals

• 2020/21 (Barcelona – La Liga): 30 goals

• 2025 (Inter Miami – MLS): 29 goals

After conquering La Liga and achieving success in Europe, Messi has now dominated another league in the U.S., closing the 2025 season in outstanding form and continuing to establish himself as one of the greatest legends in football history.

Related articles

Fabrizio Romano reveals shocking Messi transfer news Lionel Messi is very close to signing a new contract with Inter Miami, ending all speculation about a potential “blockbuster” transfer in 2026. See more