MLS
How Leonardo Campana could beat Lionel Messi to Inter Miami record
Campana was on the scoresheet as The Herons, missing Messi and Luis Suárez, defeated Columbus Crew in MLS on Wednesday.
Inter Miami secured their second successive MLS win without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on Wednesday, following up their 2-1 victory at Philadelphia Union with a triumph by the same scoreline over Columbus Crew. Leonardo Campana was back among the goals at Chase Park and could now be set to beat more illustrious teammate Messi to a club record.
Campana on the verge of Inter Miami scoring record
Campana’s 21st-minute strike, which put The Herons 2-0 up against the Crew, was his 28th for the club in all competitions and put him on the brink of becoming Inter Miami’s all-time top scorer.
That honour currently belongs to former Real Madrid and Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuaín, a former Argentina teammate of Messi’s, who scored 29 times in 70 games for the Floridians between September 2020 and October 2022, when he retired from professional soccer.
All 29 of Higuaín’s goals came in MLS, while Campana has found the net in the domestic league on 25 occasions and three times in the US Open Cup. The Ecuadorian now needs only two more goals to overtake “El Pipita” in the club’s all-time scoring charts, and Messi’s participation in the 2024 Copa América could allow him to briefly become Las Garzas’ leading marksman.
Inter Miami will face Nashville (away, 30 June), Charlotte (away 3 July), Cincinnati (away, 6 July), Toronto (home, 27 July) and Chicago Fire (home, 20 July) in their upcoming games.
How many goals has Messi scored for Inter Miami?
Messi is only three goals worse off than Campana and four behind Higuaín but will miss a number of matches as La Albiceleste compete in the CONMEBOL tournament in the United States in the next few weeks.
Given their respective scoring records for the MLS club (Messi - 0.83 goals per game, Campana - 0.34 goals per game), you might expect the former Barcelona icon to outscore Campana under normal circumstances. But the 23-year-old will continue to get some time in the limelight in the next few games, which could enable him to make history, however briefly.
Interestingly, just over half (13) of Messi’s 25 Inter Miami goals have come in MLS. The Argentine superstar scored 10 times in last season’s victorious Leagues Cup campaign and netted twice in the CONCACAF Champions Cup this season.