Messi voted MLS Player of the Month for April with six goals, four assists in four games
.png "Lionel Messi was voted MLS Player of the Month for April 2024 with six goals and four assists in four matches.")
The accolades keep coming for Lionel Messi.
The Argentine Inter Miami star was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Month for April.
Messi led MLS with 10 goal contributions (six goals, four assists) in April, despite playing in just four matches. His six goals were a league-best and he led Inter Miami to the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings with three victories, a tie, and no losses during the month.
Of Miami’s 12 goals in the month of April, Messi scored or assisted on 10 of those, which included the game-winning assist on April 20 and the game-winning goal on April 27.
With two goals and an assist in a 4-1 road win over the New England Revolution last Saturday, Messi became the first player in MLS history to record multiple goal contributions in five consecutive games.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has nine goals and seven assists in his first seven games of the 2024 season, the most by a player in MLS history in his first seven games of a season and three more than the previous record holders Thierry Henry (13 in 2012) and Carlos Vela (13 in 2019).
Despite his success and fame, Messi remains remarkably humble, said teammate Chelo Weigandt, an Argentine who joined the team last month.
“It’s extraordinary to be his teammate,” Weigandt said. “Leo is very humble, very simple. What you see from a distance, that’s how he is. He’s a great person.
“He is very connected with the group, always talks to us. It’s nice that such a global star pays attention to the young players in the club. He has taught me that you have to keep your feet on the ground. He is approachable. You can talk to him, ask for advice. At first, I was a little scared, shy to talk to him, but once you get to know him day to day, you realize how special he is because of his humility.”
Messi is the second Miami player to be named MLS Player of the Month after Luis Suárez earned the honor for February/March. Inter Miami is the third club in MLS history to have two different players win first two Player of the Month honors to start a season, joining the LA Galaxy in 2004 (Carlos Ruiz and Alejandro Moreno) and the 2000 Kansas City Wizards (Miklos Molnar and Tony Meola).
In his career, Messi has earned 10 Player of the Month honors for his club – eight with FC Barcelona, one with Paris Saint-Germain, and one with Inter Miami.
Miami will try to keep its five-game MLS unbeaten streak alive on Saturday at home against the New York Red Bulls, which beat Miami 4-0 on March 23. Messi did not play in that game.
This story was originally published May 2, 2024 at 3:08 PM.