Sports News Report
League: MLSSport: SoccerCountry: United StatesCategory: Scores & Results

Lionel Messi leads 2026 Ballon d'Or nominees in goal involvements

Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 17, 2026, 1:20 PM

Last updated Sep 17, 2026

Lionel Messi leads 2026 Ballon d'Or nominees in goal involvements
Summary

Lionel Messi continues to excel at age 39, as he is nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or. Playing for Inter Miami, he was pivotal in securing the club's first MLS Cup in 2025. Over the course of the 2025/26 season, Messi recorded 85 goal involvements, the highest among all nominees. He achieved 53 goals and 32 assists, surpassing Harry Kane's 81 involvements. The upcoming Ballon d'Or ceremony will be another opportunity for Messi, who already holds eight titles, to extend his record.

Source Links
Yahoo Sports
By the Numbers
  • •Inter Miami won the MLS Cup for the first time in 2025.
  • •Messi recorded 53 goals and 32 assists in 2025/26.
  • •He leads other nominees in total goal involvements with 85.
  • •Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe follow Messi in goal statistics.
  • •Messi has won eight Ballon d'Or awards, more than any player.
Latest Updates
  • 1:20 PMYahoo Sports — Lionel Messi outperformed Erling Haaland and other Ballon d’Or nominees in key metric across 25/26
What they're saying
"

Despite being 39 and playing in the MLS, Lionel Messi is still among the 2026 Ballon d’Or nominees. The Inter Miami star played a key role in his team winning the MLS Cup for the first time in 2025.

Related Teams & Leagues
Inter MiamiReal MadridAtletico MadridMLSSoccer

Sources

External links

Original reporting and copyright belong to the linked sources. SportsNewsReport.com aggregates and links — it does not republish full articles.

Related Stories

Last 14 days