Miami (AFP) - Argentine Lionel Messi, the star of Inter Miami, won the Golden Boot award in the American Football League for the second consecutive season on Saturday after his defending champion team finished the regular season in second place in the Eastern Conference following its exciting 3-3 draw with Charlotte in the final stage.

Published on: 08/11/2026 - 10:03

The Argentine star did not score, but he made the first two goals for his team at Inter Miami Stadium, both of which came from corner kicks, helping his club secure the advantage of playing at home during the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Inter Miami was on its way to achieving an easy victory when it ended the first half with a clean hat-trick, scored in turns by Jamaican Ian Fry (14), Uruguayan Luis Soares (33) and Argentinian Rodrigo De Paul (42), but Charlotte responded in the same way in the second half through Lael Abada (50 and 55) and Beninese Rodolfo Aluco (90 + 1).

Messi's 26 goals this season were enough to make him the first player to win the Golden Boot in the American League for two consecutive seasons.

Dallas' Croatian striker Petar Musa came in second place with 22 goals after he was unable to score during his team's 3-1 victory over Colorado.

Nashville, which leads the overall standings by a large margin, broke the record for the number of points in a single season in the league after raising its score to 77 points following its 2-0 victory over Cincinnati.

With a record of 23 wins, 3 defeats, and 8 draws, Nashville was crowned champion of the Eastern Conference, surpassing the previous record of 74 points that Inter Miami had set in 2024.

Inter Miami finished the season in second place in the Eastern Conference with 60 points, after New England, in third place, failed to capitalize on its draw following its sudden loss to Orlando 0-1, so its score stopped at 58 points.

Messi's team will face Columbus at the start of the playoffs, New England will also meet Philadelphia, and Charlotte will meet Chicago, while Nashville, the top seed, awaits the winner of the playoff match between Orlando and Cincinnati.

© 2026 AFP

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