MLS
How many goals does Messi need to become Inter Miami’s all time top scorer and when could be break the record?
Messi scored twice on his return to the pitch and is now within touching distance of the franchise record which is shared by two players, including one of his current teammates.
Lionel Messi enjoyed a dreamlike return to action with Inter Miami. The Argentinean was the star of Saturday’s league game against the Philadelphia Union and found the net twice in the 3-1 victory - two goals which put him on the cusp of yet another record.
With his brace against Philadelphia this weekend, Messi’s tally with Inter Miami stands at 27 goals. He is now just two short of equaling the club record, shared by two players - his compatriot Gonzalo Higuaín and Ecuadorian Leonardo Campana, both on 29.
Inter Miami all time top goal scorers
- 29 Gonzalo Higuaín
- 29 Leonardo Campana
- 27 Lionel Messi
- 21 Luis Suárez
- 17 Robert Taylor
- 12 Josef Martínez
- 8 Matías Rojas
- 7 Diego Gómez
One of the biggest differences between the three is the number of games which each players needed to reach their respective figures. While Messi is still two goals off the record, he has reached his tally in just 30 games while Higuaín took 70 games and Campana, 93 to reach 29 goals.
Breaking down Messi’s 27 goals for Inter Miami, 15 of them were scored in MLS, 10 in the Leagues Cup and the other two in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Inter Miami's remaining MLS regular season games in 2024
- Atlanta United vs Inter Miami
- New York City vs Inter Miami
- Inter Miami vs Charlotte
- Columbus Crew vs Inter Miami
- Toronto vs Inter Miami
- Inter Miami vs New England
Messi in search of history
Had he not been laid low for over six weeks, Leo would probably already have broken the record. He picked up an ankle injury in Argentina’s Copa América victory over Colombia on 14 July, which kept him out for 58 days during which he missed 13 games for Tata Martino’s team.
That also affected his chances of going for other franchise records - such as the one for the most goals scored in one MLS season, which is still held by the Carlos Vela, who scored 36 goals for Los Angeles FC in 2019 to surpass Venezuelan striker’s Josef Martínez’s record of 35 with Atlanta United during the previous season.
With six regular season games left to play, Messi, who is on 14 goals, would need to score another 22 match Vela’s record. It’s safe to say we probably won’t be seeing him scoring a hat trick in each of the remaining games but the franchise record is within reach.
Messi’s first opportunity will be on Wednesday in Atlanta - as long as Campana doesn’t get on the scoresheet and extend his record The Ecuadorian, who is on six goals, last found the target at the start of August in the Leagues Cup defeat to Tigres. His last MLS goal was five games ago in the 2-1 home win against the Crew.
As for Messi, he’s almost certain to make history before the season is out - it’s just a question of when.