2 min readMar 19, 2026 05:26 PM IST
Star footballer Lionel Messi scored his 900th career goal to become only the second player to reach the landmark in football after Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi brought up the milestone with a left-footed strike in Inter Miami’s 1-1 draw with Nashville SC in the Round of 16 CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday.
Messi took a pass in the middle of the box in the seventh minute, controlled the ball, spun and lined a low shot through a maze of defenders and into the far corner of the net.
The 38-year-old Argentine World Cup winner’s 900th goal came 21 years after Messi scored his first in senior football for Barcelona as a 17-year-old in 2005.
MESSI SCORES HIS 900TH CAREER GOAL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/sr6TlmMqo2
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 18, 2026
Messi, who has won the Ballon d’Or eight times, reached the landmark in his 1,142nd appearance for club and country, nearly 100 games fewer than Ronaldo, who took 1,236 games to reach the milestone in September 2024.
Portuguese forward Ronaldo has now reached 965 goals and has targeted the 1,000-mark before he quits the game.
The majority of Messi’s goals came during his spell at Barcelona, where he scored 672 times. He added 32 at Paris St-Germain and 81 for Inter Miami and scored 115 for Argentina, with whom he won the World Cup in 2022. Messi’s teammates have been able to depend on him at crucial times with 175 of his goals coming in knockout matches, including 35 in finals. His 129 goals in Europe’s Champions League is second only to Ronaldo’s 140.
Messi’s milestone goal came on a bittersweet night for Inter Miami, who exited the competition on away goals after the first leg of their tie ended 0-0.
Messi to lead Argentina in friendly match vs Guatemala
Messi was also called up for a friendly match against Guatemala on March 31 as Argentina gear up to defend their FIFA World Cup title.
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The game at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires was arranged after the Finalissima between Argentina and Spain on March 27 in Qatar was called off because of the conflict in the Middle East.
(With wire inputs)
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