Lionel Messi reached his 900th career goal in the seventh minute of Inter Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 match against Nashville at Fort Lauderdale Wednesday night. The back-to-back Major League Soccer MVP, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion scored with his left foot, taking a pass in the middle of the box, controlling the ball, spinning and lining a low shot through a maze of defenders into the far corner of the net.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the only other men’s player with more than 900 goals by official counts. It took Ronaldo about 100 more matches to get to the milestone than Messi needed, with Ronaldo reaching 900 goals at age 39 in September 2024, while Messi doesn’t turn 39 until June. The achievement places Messi in an exclusive club of soccer’s greatest goal scorers.
Despite the historic milestone, Inter Miami lost the match 1-1 to Nashville, with Nashville advancing to the tournament quarterfinals on an away-goal tiebreaker. The teams had played to a 0-0 tie in Nashville the previous week in the opening leg of the Round of 16 matchup. The result meant Messi’s record-breaking night ended in disappointment for the Florida-based MLS club.
Brazilian legend Pelé’s goal total remains disputed among soccer historians and statisticians. Some have suggested Pelé topped 1,000 goals for his career, though his official total is closer to 800. Different sources, counting different sets of games, list Pelé’s goal totals anywhere from around 650 in league matches to somewhere near 1,300 in all matches, with some goals coming against low-level competition.
Messi remains the game’s most popular and most-followed player since joining Inter Miami. His No. 10 Inter Miami jersey has been the bestseller in the league since he arrived in MLS, and everything he does becomes major news in all corners of the soccer world. The Argentine superstar’s presence has transformed Inter Miami’s profile both domestically and internationally.
This milestone joins countless other awards and accomplishments over Messi’s career, including eight Pichichi trophies as La Liga’s top scorer and six La Liga best player awards. He has also won three Best FIFA Men’s Player awards, three UEFA Men’s Player of the Year wins, and two FIFA World Cup Golden Ball awards. His collection of individual honors spans nearly two decades of professional soccer.
Inter Miami will need to regroup after the Champions Cup elimination as they prepare for the upcoming MLS regular season. The club’s next competitive fixture will depend on the league’s schedule release, with Messi expected to continue pursuing additional milestones in Major League Soccer play.