Lionel Messi scored his 900th career goal on Wednesday night, but it was not enough to keep Inter Miami in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Nashville SC held on for a 1-1 draw at Chase Stadium, sending Miami out on the away goals rule. The two-legged tie finished level at 1-1 on aggregate.
Messi Gets There in Seven Minutes
Messi needed just seven minutes to reach the milestone. Sergio Reguilon played him into space inside the box, and Messi cut onto his left foot before guiding a low shot back across the goalkeeper and through the legs of a Nashville defender. The stadium responded immediately.
The goal made him only the second man in football history to score 900 official goals in competitive matches, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo reached the mark in September 2024, taking 1,236 games. Messi got there in 1,142 appearances, 94 games fewer. His professional career began with Barcelona on October 16, 2004.
Nashville Hit Back and Hold On
Despite going behind, Nashville refused to sit back and grew into the match as the second half progressed. Their equalizer came midway through the second half.
Alex Muyl’s shot was blocked but looped towards the goal line, where goalkeeper Dayne St Clair punched it into a crowded penalty area. The loose ball dropped to Cristian Espinoza, who drove a right-footed finish into the far corner. That away goal, combined with the goalless draw Nashville had secured in the first leg, proved decisive.
Miami pushed for a winner in the closing stages but could not find a second goal despite several openings, particularly in the first half.
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Mascherano Takes the Blame
Miami manager Javier Mascherano was direct after the final whistle. “Clearly, it is a very sad night, full of disappointment,” he said. “We had several chances to score another goal or two, especially in the first half. The person truly responsible for this elimination is me.”
Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan kept his tribute to Messi brief: “900 goals, congratulations to him. He’s the best.”
Nashville advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face Club America.
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The Numbers Behind 900
The goal was Messi’s 81st for Miami since joining MLS in the summer of 2023. The bulk of his tally, 672 goals, came at Barcelona. He added 32 at Paris Saint-Germain, and his Argentina record stands at 115. His combined total of 900 places him second on the all-time men’s list behind Ronaldo, who currently sits at 965 and has publicly stated his intention to reach 1,000 before retiring.
Messi won the 2025 MLS Golden Boot with 29 regular-season goals and took the 2025 MLS MVP award for a second straight season, the first player in league history to win it back-to-back. His most productive single year remains 2012, when he scored 91 goals in 69 games across Barcelona and Argentina, a world record for goals in a calendar year that still stands.
Brazilian legend Pelé sits third on the all-time men’s list with 765 goals.
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