Watch: Lionel Messi scores 900th career goal

Lionel Messi is in rare air after scoring the opener in Inter Miami´s second leg match against Nashville SC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16.

Messi is behind only Cristiano Ronaldo in the all-time scoring charts. The other highest-scoring active players are Robert Lewandowski (691 goals), Luis Suarez (600) and Karim Benzema (521).

Will Lionel Messi score 1,000 goals?

The prospect of scoring 1,000 officials goals would rank among one of the greatest achievements in professional sports, a milestone that was thought to be impossible until relatively recently. Brazilian legend Pelé - regularly cited as the greatest player of all time - scored a confirmed 762 goals, the most of any player until the two greats of the modern era.

Both Messi and Ronaldo have now reached 900 career goals, and Ronaldo is well on his way to reaching 1,000. As of March 2026, CR7 is on 965 career goals and looks intent on becoming the first player to hit four figures. He continues to play in the Saudi Pro League and for the Portugal national team.

For Messi, the 1,000-goal mark is a more distant prospect. He is two years younger than Ronaldo but has 65 fewer goals. With 100 more goals to reach that historic mark, Messi appears unlikely to reach 1,000 but he is at the start of a three-year contract extension with Inter Miami, which should give him at least 100 more games in which to score the remaining goals.

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