Who will win MLS Golden Boot? Predictions, betting odds, futures as Lionel Messi targets 2024 top goal scorer

For clubs hoping to make a run for the 2024 MLS Cup, having a player who challenges for the league's top goal scorer award is a must.

Every MLS Golden Boot winner of the last decade has come from a club which qualified for the postseason that year, and two of them won the league title in the same season.

In the coming campaign, Lionel Messi is expected to dominate the MLS goal scoring charts, but while the betting market expects him to run away with the individual award, he could have plenty of competition as Inter Miami push for a historic finish.

The race is, in truth, wide open, and while the greatest player of all time gives it his best shot, there are a number of reasons why it could be anyone's award as a long and arduous MLS season takes plenty of twists and turns.

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Lionel Messi is the runaway preseason betting favorite to win MLS Golden Boot in 2024, but two major factors are working against him. First, his age and injury history suggest it will be extremely difficult for him to be available for the number of games it requires to top this list, given Inter Miami's participation in CONCACAF Champions Cup plus the Leagues Cup in August.

Second, Inter Miami signed Luis Suarez this offseason who will be a main target up front for the club and could steal a lot of the goal scoring chances. While that's not a bad thing for Messi on a team level — in fact, he will probably be on the creative end of many of Suarez's goals — it's not great for his eventual goal total.

Combining those two factors, and understanding that he remains the greatest player of all time when he is on