Messi Scores 900th Career Goal As Inter Miami Crash Out Of CONCACAF Champions Cup

Messi Scores 900th Career Goal as Inter Miami Crash Out of CONCACAF Champions Cup Argentine superstar Lionel Messi reached a remarkable milestone on Wednesday, netting the 900th goal of his illustrious career, though it wasn’t enough to prevent Inter Miami CF from exiting the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The team drew 1-1 with Nashville SC, allowing the visitors to advance to the quarter-finals on away goals.

Messi, 38, opened the scoring after just seven minutes, putting Miami ahead in the second leg of their last-16 clash. Nashville’s Cristian Espinoza equalized in the 74th minute, leveling the aggregate score at 1-1. Despite Miami’s efforts, Nashville held on to progress. The milestone goal adds to Messi’s prolific scoring record: 81 goals for Inter Miami since joining in 2023, 672 goals for FC Barcelona, 32 for Paris Saint-Germain, and 115 international goals for Argentina. Goal number 900 came 21 years after Messi’s first senior goal, which he scored for Barcelona in a 2-0 victory over Albacete in 2005 at the age of 17.

Messi still trails his great rival, 41-year-old Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 965 career goals. Miami manager and former teammate Javier Mascherano called Messi’s achievement “insane,” praising the forward as “one of a kind.” The match also marked a farewell to Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium, with the club set to move into a new 26,700-seat facility next month. Messi has extended his contract with the club until the end of the 2028 season and is expected to feature in his sixth FIFA World Cup later this year. Messi’s career has been defined by remarkable consistency: 672 goals in 778 games for Barcelona, 32 goals in 75 matches for PSG, and 81 goals in 96 appearances for Inter Miami. His international tally includes 115 goals in 196 matches, highlighted by two goals in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup final victory over France. While Messi’s 900-goal achievement places him second in most recognized scoring records behind Ronaldo, debates continue over legends like Pelé, whose career total is often cited as over 1,000 goals but generally considered around 762 by statisticians.