Nashville SC head coach B.J. Callaghan made sure to give Lionel Messi his flowers for reaching 900 career goals during Inter Miami‘s elimination from the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.
“It’s… you know, 900 goals is… Congratulations to him. He’s the best,” Callaghan said of Messi in response to Bolavip during his postgame press conference.
“When you play great teams and you play great players, the good thing is it brings out the best in yourself and the best in your team. And I thought that’s what we did tonight. You were able to see some of the best qualities that we were able to have,” Callaghan added.
“What we’re focused on is earning our way into the next round. We knew it was going to take tonight, and just, we’re a really proud group that was able to do that.”
Nashville upset Inter Miami after Messi’s 900th career goal
Nashville upset Inter Miami in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 on away goals, having snatched a 1-1 draw in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday. A week earlier, the first leg between Miami and Nashville at Geodis Park finished goalless.
It took an effort from Callaghan’s men, who started the return leg trailing 1-0 early in the game. Only seven minutes into the affair, Messi found the net to reach 900 goals in his career.
However, the Herons failed to increase their lead throughout the game, keeping Nashville well alive in the series. Eventually, it proved costly for Javier Mascherano’s team, as Cristian Espinoza made things level against Inter Miami with only 16 minutes remaining.
The equalizer was enough for Nashville to go through, breaking Inter Miami’s hearts in a night that looked promising but extended Messi’s continental club title drought.