Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi struck a hat trick on the final day of MLS' regular season to all-but clinch the 2025 MLS Golden Boot award.
Messi's three goals, along with an assist, helped Miami to a 5-2 win at Nashville SC and took the Argentina forward to 29 goals in just 28 regular season matches.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is now almost certain to finish as MLS' top scorer for the first time since joining Inter Miami in July 2023.
- Messi tracker: All goals, assists, key moments
His nearest challenger, LAFC's Denis Bounaga, is five goals back and would need six goals against Colorado later on Saturday to take the award. Messi also leads the league in assists, which is the first tiebreaker for the Golden Boot.
Nashville SC's Sam Surridge is currently tied for second on 24 goals after scoring against Miami on Saturday.
Only three players -- Carlos Vela (34), Josef Martnez (31) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (30) -- have scored more goals in a single MLS regular season than Messi.
With 19 assists, along with his 29 goals, Messi finished one shy of Vela's MLS record of 49 goal contributions in a single regular season.
Messi's contributions propelled Inter Miami to third place on the Eastern Conference table, securing homefield advantage for the playoffs. The team will now face Nashville again in the first round of the 2025 MLS playoffs.
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano revealed after Saturday's game that the first game of the three-game series would take place Friday.
Mascherano has insisted Messi has done more than enough on the field to earn the 2025 MLS MVP award, which would make him the first ever player to win the trophy on two consecutive occasions.
"Well, what can I say about Leo? The truth is, well, today he was exceptional, as he usually is," Mascherano said in his postgame news conference.
"Clearly, I think if anyone had any doubts about what his regular season was like, the reality is that he's cleared any doubts. They'll surely give him the MVP award for everything he's shown.
"Talking about the three goals he scored, well, happy for him because he helped us win the game again."
Messi won the 2024 MLS MVP trophy, after recording 20 goals and 16 assists to inspire Inter Miami to the Supporters' Shield and break the league record for most points recorded in a single season.
Saturday's hat trick was Messi's second in MLS. His first came in Inter Miami's 6-2 win over the New England Revolution on the final day of the 2024 regular season.
He scored his first of the game against Nashville from the top of the box in the 35th minute to give Inter Miami a 1-0 lead.
Messi was awarded a penalty kick in the 63rd minute and scored to tie the game 2-2.
He completed the hat trick in the 81st minute, scoring from the center of the box on a left-footed shot and extending Inter Miami's lead to 4-2.
Messi also had a late assist for Telasco Segovia to score Miami's fifth and final goal of the night in stoppage time.
Information from ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.
