Lionel Messi becomes second men’s soccer player ever to score 900 career goals

Lionel Messi has added another milestone to his illustrious career. 

The Argentine scored his 900th career goal — for club and country — in the second leg of Inter Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16 series with Nashville SC on Wednesday night. 

He joins rival Cristiano Ronaldo as the only men’s players in the sport’s history to ever reach the plateau.

The historic moment came in the seventh minute of the match when Sergio Reguilon sent a cross to Messi, who took a few dribbles before sending the ball through the legs of Nashville defender Jeisson Palacios and out of the reach of diving goalkeeper Brian Schwake. 

The goal sent Inter Miami CF Stadium into rapture as the club took a 1-0 lead. 

The man widely considered to be the GOAT of soccer took 1,142 matches to reach 900, which was 94 fewer than Ronaldo when he reached the mark in September 2024.

Lionel Messi of Inter Miami CF celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 Second Leg match between Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC at Chase Stadium on March 18, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Getty Images

Ronaldo has 965 career goals and is looking to reach the 1,000-goal mark before he retires. 

Soccer icon Pelé is third on the all-time list with 765 goals over the course of his memorable career. 

“Clearly, we don’t fully grasp the magnitude of it; talking about him scoring 900 goals is insane, incredible for such a unique player,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano told reporters this week, according to the Miami Herald. “The truth is, I always end up saying the same thing: Leo’s numbers are amazing, but above all, statistics are the least important aspect.

“You can score a lot of goals, the key is how you do it, and he’s managed not only to reach incredible numbers in terms of goals and assists, but also because of what he contributes to the game itself, which I believe is much more important than his stats.”

Messi made his professional debut on Oct. 16, 2004, and went on to score 785 goals over the course of his club career, which included stops at Barcelona, Paris-St. Germain and Inter Miami. 

Lionel Messi of Inter Miami CF celebrates with teammate Sergio Reguilon of Inter Miami CF after scoring his team’s first goal during the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 Second Leg match between Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC at Chase Stadium on March 18, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Getty Images

He has recorded 115 goals for the Argentina National Team.

The moment came at what could very well be the last match at Inter Miami CF Stadium before the club moves into its brand new home, Nu Stadium at Miami Freedom Park, which is slated to host its first game on April 4.

Inter Miami’s Wednesday match ended in a 1-1 draw, and they were eliminated from the Champions Cup due to the away-goal tiebreaker.