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66 CONTRIBUTIONS: LIONEL MESSI OBLITERATES CARLOS VELA'S MLS SEASON RECORD

At 38, Lionel Messi produced 43 goals and 23 assists (66 total), averaging a goal contribution every 61.6 minutes in his most prolific season since 2019.

66 Contributions: Lionel Messi Obliterates Carlos Vela's MLS Season Record
Messi's Record-Breaking 38-Year Season

Lionel Messi keeps having an amazing year with Inter Miami in 2025, and the 38-year-old just set another record.

Since joining the league in 2023, the Argentinian star has seemed a cut above everyone else, but his 2025 season is without a doubt his best yet.

This year, he's scored 43 goals and made 23 assists in all of Miami's competitions, adding up to 66 goals.

No player in MLS history has ever had more goal contributions in a year.

Before Messi, the record was held by ex-Arsenal player Carlos Vela, who had 52 goal contributions in 2019 for LAFC.

Before Vela, Josef Martinez had 42 in 2018, and before him, Sebastian Giovinco had 40 in 2016.

What's even better, Messi could add to his total since he has one more game to play this year, the MLS Cup final against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Here’s a list of the six MLS players with the most goal contributions in a year.

1. Lionel Messi (2025) – 66 goal contributions

It will be hard to beat this record.

The Argentinian playmaker has been in top form all year, averaging a goal or assist every 61.6 minutes.

With 43 goals, this is also Messi's highest-scoring year since 2019, quite a feat considering he's now 38.

2. Carlos Vela (2019) – 52 goal contributions

Before Messi came to MLS, Vela held the record with 52 goal contributions in 2019.

The Mexican forward was likely the best player in the league that season, but didn't win the MLS Cup because LAFC lost in the conference final to the Seattle Sounders.

He did end up winning the MLS Cup in 2022.

3. Anders Dreyer (2025) – 44 goal contributions

Messi's great form in 2025 has overshadowed Dreyer, who is also having a great season with San Diego.

The Danish winger has 44 goal contributions this year, which is quite an achievement since it's his first year in MLS.

4. Josef Martinez (2018) – 42 goal contributions

Back in 2018, Atlanta United was the team to beat in MLS, mostly because of Martinez.

The Venezuelan international had his best year with the club in 2018, which was also the year they won the MLS Cup.

5. Sebastian Giovinco (2016) – 40 goal contributions

Also known as the 'atomic ant,' Giovinco tore through MLS defences in 2016 for Toronto.

He's still the club's all-time top scorer with 83 goals in 142 games.

6. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2019) – 39 goal contributions

Ibrahimovic's time in MLS was short but good.

The Swedish forward spent two years in MLS and had his best year in 2019, his second season with LA Galaxy.

That year, he had 39 goal contributions, the sixth-best in league history.

CRISTIANO RONALDO PROTESTS AL-HILAL'S BENZEMA DEAL BY SKIPPING AL-NASSR LEAGUE MATCH

Cristiano Ronaldo is fuming. Discover why the Al-Nassr star skipped his last match and is now threatening to leave Saudi Arabia.

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Ronaldo "considering leaving Saudi Arabia" despite signing 2027 contract extension

Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main attraction in the Saudi Pro League ever since he landed in the Middle East three years ago. Now, for the first time, it looks like he’s actually thinking about leaving. He’s frustrated. He feels the playing field isn’t level, and it’s starting to get to him.

Here’s the deal: Four clubs in the league—Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli—get their backing straight from the state. But Ronaldo sat out Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh on Monday night. Why? He was protesting. He found out Al-Hilal was about to sign Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad, and that was the last straw. From Ronaldo’s perspective, Al-Hilal keeps getting more freedom to splash cash than everyone else. They’re the current champions, and Ronaldo still hasn’t managed to win his first Saudi title.

Saudi officials tried to calm him down. According to Diario AS, they reached out and argued that most of Al-Hilal’s extra spending comes from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, not the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Al-Hilal just brought in Kader Meite for €30 million, Saimon Bouabre for €23 million, and now Benzema. Al-Nassr, on the other hand, only managed two free transfers this winter. Sure, they spent a lot more in the summer, but that didn’t seem to matter to Ronaldo.

Reports from Portugal, cited by AS, say Ronaldo’s not ruling anything out—not even leaving Saudi Arabia this summer. That’s despite just signing an extension with Al-Nassr until 2027.

And honestly, he has a point. Since he arrived, Al-Hilal have spent €647 million, while Al-Nassr have shelled out €410 million and Al-Ittihad €365 million. These numbers probably don’t include salaries—and let’s face it, nobody’s making more than Ronaldo. He’s supposed to return on Friday when Al-Nassr face Al-Ittihad, but right now, no one really knows if he’ll play or if he’s planning his next move.

N’GOLO KANTE SKIPS TRAINING AS AL-ITTIHAD BLOCK HIS MOVE TO FENERBAHCE OFFICIALLY

N’Golo Kante has gone on strike at Al-Ittihad after a paperwork error blocked his move to Fenerbahce. Can he still sign by Friday?

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Paperwork error halts N’Golo Kante’s transfer to Turkey at final hour

N’Golo Kanté didn’t show up for Al-Ittihad training on Tuesday, and it’s not hard to see why. He was all set to head to Fenerbahçe, but the deal fell apart at the last minute—apparently because Al-Ittihad messed up some paperwork. Kante was supposed to fly to Istanbul and sign, but thanks to this administrative slip, he’s stuck in limbo. There’s still a shot at reviving the transfer sinceKanté Turkey’s transfer window stays open until Friday, February 6.

Kante was one of the first big European names to jump to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al-Ittihad in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea. He’s been a key player in Jeddah, helping Al-Ittihad win the 2024-25 league title and the King’s Cup.

Then, in the middle of the January window, word got out that Fenerbahce wanted him. The Turkish club were eager to add a World Cup winner to their squad. The plan was to swap Kante for Youssef En-Nesyri, who’d head to Saudi Arabia. Everything seemed set until deadline day, when news broke that an error by Al-Ittihad in the Transfer Matching System stopped the transfer cold.

Fenerbahce didn’t hold back. They blamed Al-Ittihad directly, saying they’d done everything right: agreements with the players, medicals, paperwork, all wrapped up on time. But Al-Ittihad entered something wrong in the system, and that was that. Fenerbahçe even asked for an extension and reached out to FIFA, but nothing moved. In the end, the deal died, and Fenerbahçe put out a statement saying they understood the frustration and would keep working to strengthen the squad.

Meanwhile, Kante’s making his feelings clear. According to Ben Jacobs, he skipped training on Tuesday, still hoping the move to Fenerbahce can happen. Santi Aouna says talks between the clubs aren’t dead yet. L’Equipe is reporting that Kanté doesn’t want to play for Al-Ittihad while he waits for FIFA’s decision. With the Turkish window open until Friday, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Kante, though En-Nesyri’s move is off the table for now.

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