Six players to win multiple MLS Golden Boot awards ft. Lionel Messi
(Courtesy : Getty)
Messi recently rewrote the history of this award!
Lionel Messi added another chapter to his storied career by lifting the 2026 MLS Golden Boot award, thus becoming the first player in the history of Major League Soccer to win this award in consecutive seasons.
Despite being 39 years old, Messi has continued to shine for Inter Miami. Since joining the club in July 2023, Messi has made 124 appearances for the Herons, scoring an astonishing 107 goals and registering 60 assists.
He has received multiple individual and team honours during his time in North America. He was twice named the MLS MVP, and that too in consecutive seasons.
He also won five titles with Inter Miami. This includes the 2023 Leagues Cup, the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield, the 2025 MLS Eastern Conference Title, the 2025 MLS Cup, and the 2026 Campeones Cup.
Messi, now, has made further history with back-to-back MLS Golden Boot awards. However, although he is the first to win it in consecutive seasons, he is not the first to win this award more than once.
In fact, six players in total, including Messi, have achieved this feat. Let’s take a look at them.
Six players to win MLS Golden Boot awards more than once
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| Sl No. | Player | Years |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | 2025, 2026 |
| 2 | Bradley Wright-Phillips | 2014, 2016 |
| 3 | Chris Wondolowski | 2010, 2012 |
| 4 | Jeff Cunningham | 2006, 2009 |
| 5 | Taylor Twellman | 2002, 2005 |
| 6 | Preki | 1997, 2003 |
6. Preki
Predrag Radosavljević, also known as Preki, was one of the first stars to join the MLS during the league’s formation in 1996. The former Everton striker joined the Kansas City Wizards and had a wonderful five-year spell, scoring 50 goals.
He won the 1997 MLS Golden Boot (then called the MLS Scoring Champion Award), having scored 12 goals and registered 17 assists. He replicated the same numbers once again for the Wizards in 2003 to win his second top-scorer award.
The Serbian-born Preki remains the first player to win the MLS MVP Award and the MLS Golden Boot award twice. The only other player to achieve this feat is Lionel Messi.
5. Taylor Twellman
New England Revolution legend Taylor Twellman holds several landmarks in the MLS, including becoming the youngest player to score 100 goals in the league at the age of 29. The 30-time USMNT international won his first MLS Scoring Champion award in 2002, having scored 23 goals and registered six assists for the Revs.
After the rules were changed to focus only on goals scored, with ties being broken by assists, Twellman won the 2005 MLS Golden Boot award by scoring 17 goals in 25 games for the Revs.
4. Jeff Cunningham
Born in Jamaica, USMNT international Jeff Cunningham built a wonderful career in the MLS. After joining Real Salt Lake, he led the league’s scoring charts with 16 goals in 31 matches, winning the Golden Boot in 2006.
After a tough time with Toronto FC, Cunningham joined FC Dallas and had a wonderful spell with Los Toros. He scored 17 goals in 28 matches in 2009, winning his second MLS Golden Boot award.
3. Chris Wondolowski
Possibly the greatest poacher in the history of the MLS, Chris Wondolowski is the tournament’s all-time top scorer with 171 goals. Most of his career was spent with the San Jose Earthquakes, where he played for 14 seasons.
Wondolowski’s breakthrough season in MLS came in 2010, when he scored 18 goals in 28 matches, winning the Golden Boot for the first time. He improved his record even more just two years later, scoring 27 goals in 32 matches in 2012. As a result, he not only became the Quakes’ all-time leading goalscorer but also won his second MLS Golden Boot award.
2. Bradley Wright-Phillips
Son of the legendary Ian Wright, Bradley Wright-Phillips won the MLS Golden Boot for the first time in his first full season in the league, scoring 27 goals in 32 matches for the New York Red Bulls. As a result, he lifted the 2014 MLS Golden Boot.
Wright-Phillips continued his goalscoring exploits for NYRB, scoring 24 goals in 34 matches in 2016 to win his second top-scorer award in the MLS. The player he beat to win this award for the second time was none other than David Villa.
1. Lionel Messi
29 goals and 16 assists in 28 MLS matches in 2025. 26 goals and 14 assists in 31 MLS matches in 2026. Lionel Messi, the phenomenon that he is, is showing no signs of slowing down despite almost turning 40. In fact, he finished fifth in the 2026 Ballon d’Or rankings, showing that he is far from done.
At this rate, fans can only wonder if a hat-trick of Golden Boot awards will come in 2027 for the Inter Miami legend.
Who has won the most MLS Golden Boot awards?
Six players have won multiple MLS Golden Boot awards, including Lionel Messi, Preki, Taylor Twellman, Jeff Cunningham, Chris Wondolowski and Bradley Wright-Phillips.
How many MLS Golden Boot awards has Lionel Messi won?
Lionel Messi has won two consecutive MLS Golden Boot awards, in 2025 and 2026, becoming the first player to achieve this feat.
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