Florida (US) [India], March 20 (HBTV): Lionel Messi created history on Wednesday by becoming only the second men's footballer to score 900 goals in official matches, reaching the landmark during Inter Miami CF's 1-1 draw against Nashville SC in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The result meant Inter Miami was eliminated from the competition on the away goals rule, as a strike by Cristian Espinoza proved decisive after cancelling out an early goal from Messi to send Nashville through.
Messi's milestone strike came in a tightly contested encounter, marking yet another extraordinary achievement in the Argentine superstar's decorated career and placing him among an elite group of footballers to reach such a tally in official competitions.
The Inter Miami captain joined his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo as the only men's players to reach 900 goals. Ronaldo achieved the milestone in September 2024.
Currently, Ronaldo has 965 goals and has expressed his ambition to reach the historic landmark of 1,000 goals before retiring. Messi, on the other hand, took 1,142 games to reach 900, while Ronaldo needed 1,236 matches to get there.
Pelé occupies third place on the all-time scoring charts with 765 goals. Among active players, Robert Lewandowski trails behind with a tally of 690 goals.
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 later added 32 goals during his spell with Paris Saint-Germain and has continued his scoring run with 81 goals for Inter Miami CF.
At the international level, the World Cup-winning forward has scored 115 goals for Argentina national football team, underlining his influence on the global stage.
The most prolific calendar year of Messi's career came in 2012, when he scored a remarkable 91 goals for both club and country, setting a benchmark that remains unmatched in modern football.
(ANI)