Lionel Messi’s career has long been defined by records, milestones, and moments that defy football logic. As the calendar turns to 2026, the Argentine icon is once again on the brink of history — this time, closing in on his 900th career goal.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner currently has 896 goals to his name, scored across spells with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami, and the Argentina national team. He reached that tally after lifting the MLS Cup with Inter Miami, following a victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on December 5.
Competitive Action to Resume Early in 2026
Messi will return to competitive football when the 2026 MLS season begins on February 21. Shortly after, Argentina will face Spain in the Finalissima on March 27 in Doha, offering the superstar early opportunities to reach the landmark.
“𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 — 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒎,” 𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒂𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒕 𝒖𝒑.
At 38 years old, Messi needs just four more goals to enter the exclusive 900-goal club — a group currently occupied by only one active player: Cristiano Ronaldo.
Elite Company in Football’s Scoring History
Ronaldo crossed the 900-goal mark in September 2024 and remains the only footballer still playing at that level to do so. The next closest active scorer, Robert Lewandowski, trails far behind with 685 goals, underlining how rare this milestone truly is.
Messi’s professional scoring journey began in May 2005, when he netted his first senior goal for Barcelona against Albacete. More than two decades later, he continues to score at a rate few could have imagined.
“𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 21 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊’𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆,” 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌.
With Ronaldo now eyeing the mythical 1,000-goal mark, questions naturally arise about Messi’s ceiling. Being nearly two and a half years younger than his long-time rival, some wonder whether Messi could eventually challenge that total.
Goals Across Clubs and Country
The majority of Messi’s goals came during his legendary stint at Barcelona, where he scored 672 goals in 778 matches over 17 seasons — nearly 75 percent of his career tally.
He added 32 goals in 75 matches for PSG, followed by 77 goals in 88 appearances for Inter Miami. On the international stage, Messi has scored 115 goals in 196 matches for Argentina, including his unforgettable brace in the 2022 World Cup final against France.
In total, Messi has now scored 896 goals in 1,137 professional matches, and history suggests it may not stop at 900.
