Leo Messi Named MLS Player of the Matchday Presented by Michelob ULTRA for Matchday 2
MLS Inter Miami CF

Leo Messi Named MLS Player of the Matchday Presented by Michelob ULTRA for Matchday 2

Published on March 2, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Inter Miami CF News Release


Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi's standout performance against Orlando City SC on Sunday night earn him Major League Soccer (MLS) Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA honors for Matchday 2.

Messi clocked in another influential performance in our first road win over our rivals. Two bangers from the Argentine maestro, with a goal from outside the box in the 57th minute and a free kick to the bottom-left corner in the 90th minute, were key in helping Inter Miami achieve the thrilling 2-4 comeback victory. It marked the 17th multi-goal regular-season game of his career, including the fourth in his last six regular-season appearances dating back to last season. With his brace against Orlando, Messi now has 89 career regular-season goal contributions (52 goals and 37 assists) in 55 games.

This marks the 13th time in his career that Messi has been named MLS Player of the Matchday, which is the third-most in league history, behind only Landon Donovan (19) and Jeff Cunningham (14). Since the start of 2024, approximately one in every six Player of the Matchday awards has been won by Messi.

The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an Instagram fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.

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