Griezmann Breaks MLS Record Messi Couldn't Match
Antoine Griezmann scored and assisted in Orlando City's 3-3 draw at Toronto FC, becoming the first player in MLS history to record a goal contribution in 11 of his first 13 league appearances. It is a mark that Lionel Messi, Son Heung-min and Thomas Müller all failed to reach in their own first 13 MLS games.
History in Toronto
Antoine Griezmann keeps rewriting what a mid-season signing can be. The Orlando City forward scored once and assisted another in a thrilling 3-3 draw at Toronto FC on Wednesday night, and in doing so wrote his name into the MLS record books.
The goal — a stunning volley celebrated by Orlando City's own account — and the assist took Griezmann's tally to 10 goals and 6 assists in just 13 league appearances since arriving from Atlético Madrid in July. At 35, the 2018 World Cup winner has not just adapted to Major League Soccer; he has bent its history around himself.
The draw at BMO Field kept Orlando's playoff push alive, but the night belonged to the numbers: no player in MLS history has ever started a league career quite like this.
The record Messi, Son and Müller never reached
The record is as specific as it is remarkable: Griezmann is the first player in MLS history to record at least one goal contribution in 11 of his first 13 regular-season appearances. No one had ever done it before — and that includes the parade of global superstars who have landed in the league in recent years.
Lionel Messi, Son Heung-min and Thomas Müller all failed to match that start over their own first 13 MLS games. For Messi, whose every record has become a target for the generation behind him, it is another mark now held by someone else — this time a former Barcelona and Atlético teammate and a fellow 2018 World Cup final combatant.
The numbers behind it are stark. Sixteen direct goal contributions in 13 games. A goal or an assist in all but two of his appearances. And a consistency that has made him the runaway face of Orlando's season — and, per MLSSoccer.com, one of the leading cases for MLS Newcomer of the Year.
Orlando's turnaround
Context makes the record even more impressive. When Griezmann arrived midseason, Orlando were drifting; since then he has been the focal point of a surge up the standings that has carried the Lions to seventh in the Eastern Conference and firmly into the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs race.
The most telling stat might be this one: Orlando are yet to lose a game in any competition this season when Griezmann gets on the scoresheet — eight wins and a draw from nine such games. He does not just produce; his production decides results.
Griezmann and Orlando continue their playoff push on Saturday, when they host D.C. United at Inter.co Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET. With the postseason approaching, the Frenchman has timed his peak perfectly.
Messi's marks that still stand
One record changing hands does not rewrite the hierarchy. Messi remains the standard against which every MLS arrival is measured — and most of his marks are intact.
The Argentine holds the record for the most MLS Player of the Matchday awards among World Cup winners with 14, tied with Jeff Cunningham for the second-most in league history behind Landon Donovan's 19. Griezmann, with his first such honour earlier this season, became just the eighth World Cup champion to win the award.
And Messi keeps collecting weekly honours of his own: he was named the winner of the MLS Goal of the Matchday award this week, per MLSsoccer.com, a reminder that the 39-year-old's highlight reel is still growing even as rivals chip at his records.
What it says about MLS in 2026
Griezmann's record is also a statement about the league he joined. MLS in 2026 is no longer a place where European stars arrive to wind down; it is a competition where a 35-year-old World Cup winner has to produce from week one to keep his team in the playoff race — and where the standard for a fast start now sits higher than anything Messi, Son or Müller managed.
Messi set the template when he arrived at Inter Miami in 2023. Three years on, the league's newcomers are not just following it. As Griezmann is proving, some of them are raising it.
What happens next
Orlando host D.C. United on Saturday night with a playoff place to protect and a record-holder in form. For Messi and Inter Miami, the message from Florida is clear: the Golden Boot race, the MVP race and the playoff seedings will all run through the final weeks — and the chasing pack has never been stronger.
Questions people ask
What MLS record did Antoine Griezmann break?
He became the first player in MLS history to record a goal contribution in 11 of his first 13 regular-season appearances, doing so in Orlando City's 3-3 draw at Toronto FC.
What are Griezmann's stats for Orlando City?
10 goals and 6 assists in 13 league matches since joining from Atlético Madrid in July 2026.
Which stars failed to match Griezmann's start?
Lionel Messi, Son Heung-min and Thomas Müller all fell short of a goal contribution in 11 of their first 13 MLS appearances.
When did Griezmann join Orlando City?
He arrived from Atlético Madrid in the July 2026 transfer window and immediately became Orlando's attacking focal point.
Is Griezmann a contender for MLS Newcomer of the Year?
Yes — MLSSoccer.com has highlighted his record-breaking start as one of the strongest cases for the award.
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