'One of a kind' Messi hits 900 career goals - numbers behind milestone
Lionel Messi became only the second player in history to reach 900 top-level career goals after scoring in Inter Miami's match against Nashville SC on Wednesday. The Argentina international scored the landmark goal after just seven minutes at Geodis Park in Tennessee in the Concacaf Champions Cup last-16 second leg tie. The 38-year-old forward has found the back of the net 81 times in 92 appearances since signing in June 2023 to help Inter Miami win the League Cup and MLS Cup.
Messi - regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time - has also scored a plethora of goals for Barcelona, Paris St‑Germain and Argentina during a glittering career in which he has won the Ballon d'Or eight times. Here, BBC Sport delves into the numbers behind his latest milestone. Since becoming the youngest scorer in Barcelona's history at 17 years, 10 months and seven days old - Messi hasn't stopped scoring.
It took the forward only three minutes to find the back of the net after replacing Samuel Eto'o in the second half of a La Liga fixture against Albacete in May 2005. It was his first of 672 goals during a legendary 17-year career with the Catalan club. In total, he made 778 appearances for Barcelona, helping them to 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, four Champions Leagues, three Super Cups and three Fifa Club World Cups before leaving to join PSG in 2021.
Although his time in the French capital only lasted two seasons, Messi still managed 32 goals in 75 games for the Ligue 1 club as part of a formidable front three alongside Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe. After his contract at the Parc des Princes expired at the end of the 2022-23 campaign, Messi - who led Argentina to a World Cup triumph six months earlier in Qatar - joined MLS side Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham. On the international stage, the frontman has 196 caps for Argentina, scoring 115 goals for the three-time world champions.
He has scored 111 times with his right foot, 30 times with his head and four goals are counted as 'other'. He has found the back of the net 724 times from inside the box, with 176 of his goals coming outside the area The teams Messi has scored the most goals against in his career to date are: Sevilla (25), Athletic Club (24), Atletico Madrid (23), Valencia (18), Real Madrid (17) and Levante (16). It is no surprise Messi joins long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo in such an illustrious group.