Joseph Paintsil Wins LA Galaxy Golden Boot  

Ghanaian forward Joseph Paintsil has won Los Angeles Galaxy’s Golden Boot award after finishing as the club’s top scorer for the 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) season.

The 27-year-old Black Stars winger scored 10 goals in 22 appearances, standing out as one of the team’s best performers in what was a tough season for the MLS champions.

Paintsil made history during the campaign by becoming only the third player in LA Galaxy’s history to score a first-half hat-trick. He joined Robbie Keane and Alejandro Moreno on the exclusive list after achieving the feat in a dominant win over Sporting Kansas City.

Although Paintsil’s performances earned him the Golden Boot, he narrowly missed out on the Player of the Year award, which went to Diego Fagundez.

Speaking at the club’s end-of-season awards night, Paintsil said he was proud of his personal achievement but disappointed that the team failed to reach the playoffs.

“This season was a big lesson for us and a wake-up call as a team,” he said. “It hasn’t gone the way we wanted. We gave away a lot of points and made too many mistakes, and we got punished for them. It’s really sad that a team which won the championship last season couldn’t make the playoffs.”

Despite the setback, the former Genk and Tema Youth player expressed optimism and gratitude.

“We should have at least made it to the playoffs to test ourselves and see how far we could go. But in all things, we give thanks to God, He knows best,” he added.

Paintsil is expected to play a key role in LA Galaxy’s rebuilding efforts for the next MLS season.