Lionel Messi is always on the brink of achieving new records, and as we approach 2026, he’s set to reach another significant career milestone: his 900th goal.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or recipient currently sits at 896 goals in his professional career, which includes his time with Argentina, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and his current club, Inter Miami, following his last match of 2025, a memorable victory in the MLS Cup against the Vancouver Whitecaps on December 5.
With the 2026 MLS season set to begin on February 21, and Argentina’s next match not occurring until they face Spain in the Finalissima on March 27, fans will need to be patient before Messi has the chance to net the four goals required to reach the 900 mark. However, it is expected that he will achieve this milestone soon after resuming competitive play at 38 years old.
As it stands, Messi’s long-time foe Cristiano Ronaldo is the only active player with over 900 professional career goals, having crossed this threshold in September 2024. The next closest active player is Robert Lewandowski, who has scored 685 goals. It may be a while before anyone else joins the 900 club alongside these two legends of the game.
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Messi’s journey as a goal scorer began in May 2005 when he made his senior debut for Barcelona and scored his first professional goal in the final two minutes of a league match against Albacete, securing a 2-0 victory.
Despite the high expectations throughout his formative years, few could have predicted the remarkable success that would follow that initial goal at Camp Nou. Fast forward 21 years, and Messi continues to score at an extraordinary rate, leaving fans eager to see just how much more he can accomplish.
While much attention has focused on Ronaldo’s quest for 1,000 career goals—he’s currently 50 strikes away at 40 years old—Messi may also set his sights on that milestone. Being nearly 2.5 years younger than Ronaldo, he could potentially finish his career with a greater total than the Portugal star.
Messi’s Goals by Club
It’s no surprise that the majority of Messi’s goals were scored at his long-term club, Barcelona, where he lit up the pitch for 17 seasons, netting 672 goals across 778 matches—making up 75% of his total career goals.
During his time at PSG, he scored 32 goals in 75 matches, while he has netted 77 goals in 88 appearances for Inter Miami so far.
On the international side, Messi has accumulated 115 goals in 196 matches for Argentina, with his most significant contributions being the two goals (plus a penalty in the shootout) during the 2022 FIFA World Cup final against France.
Barcelona: 672 goals in 778 games
Paris Saint-Germain: 32 goals in 75 games
Inter Miami: 77 goals in 88 games
Argentina: 115 goals in 196 games
Total: 896 goals in 1,137 games
Messi’s Goals per Season
Starting his journey at just 17 years old, Messi made his senior debut for Barcelona in the 2004-05 season under Frank Rijkaard. He scored a single goal in nine matches, his first coming when Ronaldinho assisted him against Albacete in May 2005.
He made his international debut for Argentina in March 2006, scoring in a friendly match against Croatia. Combining club and international goals, Messi broke into double figures in his second season (10 goals in 2005-06) and has maintained this remarkable scoring streak for the past 20 seasons.
Messi’s peak scoring season was 2011-12 when he scored an astounding 82 goals for club and country. That season also marked the moment he became Barcelona’s all-time leading goal scorer, achieving his 234th goal in just 314 appearances and dethroning César Rodriguez, a club hero from the 1940s and ’50s. This milestone occurred during a hat trick he scored in a 5-3 win over Granada in March 2012.
Messi finally reached the milestone of becoming LaLiga’s top career scorer in the 2014-15 season, netting his 253rd goal in his 289th match, surpassing the long-held record of 251 goals by Telmo Zarra. That season, he amassed a total of 66 goals.
Throughout his illustrious 22-year career, Messi has consistently surpassed impressive goal totals—once exceeding 80 goals, three times surpassing 60, eight times exceeding 50, and an astonishing 14 times exceeding 40. Between the 2008-09 and 2020-21 seasons, he scored at least 30 goals for both club and country for 13 consecutive years, coinciding with his departure from Barcelona to PSG.
After his emotional exit from Barcelona, Messi’s goal-scoring dipped in Paris during his first season (2021-22), resulting in what was perceived as a modest 22 goals. However, he rebounded in his second season (2022-23) with 37 goals. He left France having secured two Ligue 1 titles and the Trophée des Champions, also eclipsing Ronaldo’s historic tally of 701 total goals to become the all-time leading goal scorer in European club football with a goal against Nice in April 2023.
Messi’s Records and Milestones
Messi continues to set new milestones at a relentless pace. He became the all-time leading scorer for Barcelona in the 2011-12 season, achieving 234 goals in 314 matches just eight seasons into his professional career. He also set LaLiga’s all-time scoring record with his 253rd goal in the league.
Moreover, Messi holds the world record for the most goals in a single calendar year, scoring 91 in 69 matches in 2012—79 for Barcelona and 12 for Argentina—surpassing the previous record of 85 set by Bayern Munich icon Gerd Müller in 1972.
He scored the 500th goal of his club and international career in April 2016 during a shocking 2-1 defeat to Valencia, accomplishing this remarkable feat in his 632nd game—450 goals for Barcelona and 50 for Argentina at that time.
Messi is also the fastest player to reach 100 goals in the Champions League, achieving that milestone in only 123 matches, with his 100th goal coming against Chelsea in March 2018. Additionally, he holds the record for the quickest goal, scoring his 99th UCL goal just 128 seconds into a match.
Even as he approaches the age of 40, Messi continues to reach new milestones in MLS. Following Inter Miami’s first trophy win in the 2023 Leagues Cup, Messi scored 23 goals in 25 matches in 2024, establishing himself as Miami’s all-time leading scorer while helping them clinch the Supporters’ Shield.
In the 2025 season, Messi stepped up his performance again, netting 29 goals in 28 regular-season games, ultimately claiming the MLS Golden Boot. He became the fastest player to score 50 goals in MLS history in just 53 matches, breaking a record jointly held by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Josef Martínez (54 matches). Overall, Messi scored 43 goals in 49 appearances for Inter Miami in 2025.
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Potential matchups in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals: Ronaldo’s Portugal vs. Messi’s Argentina.
When Might Messi Reach 1,000 Goals?
While Messi is over 100 goals shy of the coveted 1,000 milestone, there’s a strong possibility he could reach it.
At 38, he has three years remaining on his contract with Inter Miami, which extends until the end of the 2028 MLS season, when he will be 41 years old.
Since joining MLS in July 2023, he has averaged 36 goals per season for both club and country, including 77 for Miami and 12 for Argentina. However, if there is any uncertainty regarding his international playing future—he has not confirmed plans to participate in the 2026 World Cup—the goal rate may decline if he steps back from international duty.
If he maintains an average of 36 goals per season for Miami after the World Cup, Messi could score his 1,000th career goal around the end of the 2028 season, coinciding with the conclusion of his current contract.
While this estimate is simplistic and doesn’t account for future form or fitness fluctuations, we’ve applied similar methods to calculate Ronaldo’s journey toward 1,000 goals and have remained fairly accurate.
Could He Finish with More Goals than Ronaldo?
Ronaldo, who is currently at 957 career goals over 1,298 games, will turn 41 on February 5.
Messi, with 896 goals in 1,137 matches, celebrates his 39th birthday on June 24.
If Ronaldo were to retire dramatically on January 1, 2026, and Messi continued to play for two more seasons, maintaining his current average of 36 goals per season, he could exceed Ronaldo’s total of 957 by mid-2027, potentially finishing with an estimated career total of 968.
This scenario illustrates how time is on Messi’s side due to being the younger competitor. Both players have undoubtedly shaped modern football, winning 13 Ballon d’Or titles between them since Ronaldo’s first in 2008 and Messi’s eighth in 2023. Even now, both solidify their legacies as candidates for the title of the greatest of all time.