Messi wins Golden Boot, makes MVP case with hat trick
Major League Soccer’s Golden Boot award is Lionel Messi’s and the Most Valuable Player award could be his soon after the final day of the 2025 regular season on Saturday, Oct. 18.
Messi scored a hat trick with an assist in a 5-2 win against Nashville SC at Geodis Park for his second career MLS hat trick, and the 61st of his legendary career.
Inter Miami will be the No. 3 seed in the MLS Eastern Conference when the MLS Cup playoffs begin on Oct. 24. They will meet No. 6-seed Nashville again in a best-of-three series, beginning Friday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
‘Well, what can I say about Leo? The truth is that he was exceptional today, as he usually is,’ Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the win.
‘Clearly, I think that if anyone had any doubts about his regular season, he has dispelled them. He will surely be awarded the Most Valuable Player of the Season award for everything he has shown, not to mention the three goals he has scored. I’m happy for him because he has helped us win the game again.’
One day after Shohei Ohtani had one of the best games in MLB history in Los Angeles, Messi reminded fans around the world why he’s considered the GOAT on the pitch. The Argentine World Cup champion and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner extended a personal streak of 18 consecutive seasons with a hat trick for club or country in all competitions.
“He’s brought so much attention to soccer in this country – it’s unreal,” Inter Miami’s Ian Fray said of Messi, speaking with Apple TV after the match. ‘No other player in the world could have this impact in this country. It’s crazy.’
“We take for granted what he does for 20-plus years,” Apple TV analyst Taylor Twellman said of Messi before the final whistle.
Messi scored in the 34th minute, firing his legendary left boot outside of the box to help Inter Miami take a 1-0 lead on the road against Nashville SC. Jordi Alba was credited with the assist.
Messi scored a penalty kick – surprisingly, his first penalty score in MLS play this year – to tie it at 2 in the 63rd minute.
He scored again in the 81st minute, marking his 29th goal of the 2025 MLS season, to make it 4-2. He then assisted Telasco Segovia’s goal just before the final whistle, to mark his 48th total goal contribution this season, to make it 5-2.
Messi finished his 2025 MLS regular season with 29 goals and 19 assists in 28 games. Carlos Vela set the single-season record of 49 goal contributions with LAFC in 2019.
Nashville’s Sam Surridge finished with 24 goals as did LAFC’s Denis Bouanga.
“I think there’s no doubt about it,” Mascherano said about Messi’s MVP case before the game. “I think that measuring Leo solely by the statistics – which we could do, and he is the best – I think he goes beyond the statistics. It’s what he shows on the court, the importance he has within the team and what he does to entertain everyone who has the chance to see him.”
Messi hat trick stats
It’s the second hat trick in Messi’s MLS career, and his 61st overall. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has more among all active players with 66 hat tricks all-time from 2008-2024.
Messi has at least one hat trick in 18 consecutive seasons. He also scored a second-half hat trick in a friendly against Dundee United in 2008. Here’s video of that.
Messi’s hat trick against Nashville follows his performance off the bench against the New England Revolution on Oct. 19, 2024, three days after his 10th international hat trick for Argentina in a World Cup qualifier against Boliva on Oct. 16, 2024. Yeah, two in one week.
“I’m lucky because I enjoy Leo closer than you. You enjoy him from TV or the stands. It’s about that. The rest I think is part of the history, no?” Mascherano said of Messi after Saturday’s game.
“Leo is obviously the best player that has played this sport. He continues showing that. And I’m very pleased with him because today he was amazing, and he helped us win the game.”
USA TODAY Sports provided live updates and highlights from the Nashville vs. Inter Miami match:
Inter Miami vs. Nashville highlights
Inter Miami 5, Nashville 2: Messi assists Segovia goal (90’+1′)
Three goals and an assist move Messi to 48 goal contributions, one shy of the MLS record. Telasco Segovia finished the score in stoppage time.
Inter Miami 4, Nashville 2: Messi secures hat trick (81′)
Messi has a hat trick on Decision Day, his first hat trick of the season, scoring his third in the 81st minute.
Inter Miami 3, Nashville 2: Sam Surridge misses header
Sam Surridge is trying to climb back into the race, but his header was saved by Inter Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo.
Inter Miami 3, Nashville 2: Baltazar Rodriguez scores goal (67′)
Baltazar Rodriguez scores to help Inter Miami take the lead in the second half.
Inter Miami 2, Nashville 2: Messi scores penalty kick (63′)
Halftime score: Nashville 2, Inter Miami 1
Nashville 2, Inter Miami 1: Jacob Shaffelburg scores goal (45’+6′)
Nashville takes the lead before halftime, as Jacob Shaffelburg rebounds a shot off the post by Hany Mukhtar.
Inter Miami 1, Nashville 1: Messi misses attempt with right foot (45’+2′)
Messi nearly scored again, but was unable to convert with his right boot before sliding out of bounds during first-half injury time.
Inter Miami 1, Nashville 1: Sam Surridge scores goal in 43′
Nashville’s Sam Surridge has tied this match just before halftime, scoring his 24th goal of the season on a header after an assist by Hany Mukhtar. Surridge is tied with LAFC’s Denis Bouanaga, who has 24 goals before his match tonight. However, they still trail Messi in the Golden Boot race.
Inter Miami 1, Nashville 0: Lionel Messi scores goal in 34′
Lionel Messi’s left boot connects for his 27th goal of the MLS season. Messi’s first shot of the game was fired from outside of the box, finding the lower left corner of the net past Nashville’s goalkeeper. Jordi Alba was credited with the assist.
Nashville 0, Inter Miami 0: Hany Mukhtar misses in 33′
Mukhtar’s shot soars over the net.
Nashville 0, Inter Miami 0: Surridge misses again in 31′
Sam Surridge’s shot is saved by Inter Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo.
Nashville 0, Inter Miami 0: Surridge’s shot is too strong in 28′
Sam Surridge is chasing the Golden Boot, but his shot soared over the net.
Nashville 0, Inter Miami 0: Surridge misses shot near net in 20′
Sam Surridge missed a shot near the net on a set piece after a corner kick.
Nashville 0, Inter Miami 0: Surridge misses header in 13′
Sam Surridge missed a shot near the net on a set piece after a corner kick. Inter Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo made the save.
Nashville vs. Inter Miami match has begun (1′)
Messi warms up before Nashville vs. Inter Miami match
Messi arrives to Nashville vs. Inter Miami match
Is Messi playing today in Nashville? Messi in Inter Miami starting lineup
Messi has been announced as a starter in Inter Miami’s lineup for the match in Nashville.
Nashville starting lineup vs. Inter Miami
When is the Nashville vs. Inter Miami match?
The match begins at 5 p.m. CT (6 p.m. ET; 7 p.m. in Argentina) at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee.
How to watch Nashville vs. Inter Miami match on TV, live stream?
The match will be available via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Watch Decision Day on MLS Season Pass
Nashville vs. Inter Miami betting odds, according to BETMGM
- Nashville: +135
- Draw: +275
- Inter Miami: +160
- Over/under: 3.5 goals
Nashville vs. Inter Miami prediction
Nashville 3, Inter Miami 3: This isn’t an attractive result, but it certainly will hit the over. I see Lionel Messi and Sam Surridge teeing off as much as possible in this matchup, to chase down the Golden Boot. This will be a match where penalty shots will certainly be given to both players in the race. – Safid Deen, Lionel Messi reporter
Pregame stats before Nashville vs. Inter Miami
Messi leads MLS with 26 goals, followed by LAFC’s Denis Bouanga with 24 and Nashville’s Sam Surridge with 23. Messi also has 18 assists, tied with San Diego’s Andres Dreyer for the league high.
Messi’s 44 total goal contributions lead MLS, and are five shy of Carlos Vela’s single-season record of 49 with LAFC in 2019. Messi is joined by Dreyer, Bouanga, Cincinnati’s Evander and Surridge in the 2025 MVP race.
MLS playoff picture will be settled on Decision Day
Inter Miami could improve to second place in the MLS Eastern Conference with a victory, but would need Cincinnati to falter at home against Montreal to move up in the standings. Cincinnati and Inter Miami are tied with 62 points in the East, but Cincinnati has the tiebreaking edge in the win column (19 vs. 18).
The Philadelphia Union (66 points) have already won the MLS Supporters’ Shield, the regular-season title that Inter Miami won last season.
Inter Miami already has secured home-field advantage for at least the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs.
Nashville, which won the U.S. Open Cup on Oct. 1, enters the match in sixth place with 54 points.
MLS Cup playoffs calendar
Messi and Inter Miami already clinched a berth in the MLS Cup playoffs. Here are key playoff dates to know:
- Oct. 22: Wild-card matches (single-elimination matches)
- Oct. 24-Nov. 9: Round 1 (best-of-three series)
- Nov. 22-23: Conference semifinals (single-elimination matches)
- Nov. 29-30: Conference finals (single-elimination matches)
- Dec. 6: MLS Cup (single winner-take-all match)
