Messi rockets to 900 goals, enters Ronaldo's exclusive pantheon

Lionel Messi became only the second men’s footballer to score 900 goals in official matches on Wednesday, achieving the landmark during Inter Miami CF’s 1-1 draw against Nashville SC in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Despite Messi’s early strike, Inter Miami were eliminated on the away goals rule after Cristian Espinoza equalised for Nashville to send the visitors through.

The Argentine forward joins Cristiano Ronaldo as the only men’s players to reach 900 goals in official matches. Ronaldo, who now has 965 goals, achieved the milestone in September 2024 and has stated his ambition to reach 1,000 before retirement.

Messi brought up the figure in 1,142 matches, fewer than Ronaldo’s 1,236 games to the same mark. Pelé remains third on the all-time list with 765 goals, while Robert Lewandowski is the highest-scoring active player behind the leading pair with 690.

Since making his professional debut for FC Barcelona on October 16, 2004, Messi has scored the majority of his goals in Spain, netting 672 times for the club. He added 32 during his stint at Paris Saint-Germain and has scored 81 for Inter Miami.

At the international level, the World Cup-winning forward has 115 goals for the Argentina national football team.

Messi’s most prolific year came in 2012, when he scored 91 goals for club and country, a record that remains unmatched in modern football.