This Saturday, Lionel Messi returned to official action with Inter Miami following his farewell from his national team, putting on a brilliant display with two goals in his team’s blowout victory over DC United to reach 23 goals this season on MLS Matchday 28. Cristiano Ronaldo also scored this week for Al Nassr.
With these strikes, Messi now records 934 official career goals, leaving him 68 goals away from reaching 1,000. The Argentine continues to post extraordinary numbers, though it remains unlikely he can achieve the milestone before the end of the year.
Not to be outdone this weekend was the leader in this race. Cristiano Ronaldo reached 980 official career goals on Friday and stands just 20 away from reaching the historic 1,000 mark. The Portuguese continues to pursue his personal goal, with every match for Al-Nassr representing a new opportunity to get closer to a benchmark he aims to hit before concluding his career.
Messi’s goals
At the start of the second half, with the match already 2-0 in favor of the Florida team, Messi appeared in the heart of the box to tap home a dangerous cross and extend the lead. A short while later, the goalscoring story repeated itself.
Lionel Messi celebrates his 76th career free kick goal.
In the 60th minute, a loose ball fell to his feet near the edge of the box. From there, he began his signature moves to dodge defenders, driving deep into the box for a soft finish that left the goalkeeper helpless, before being substituted with the match already settled.
Ronaldo’s goal
Ronaldo was also in action this week with Al-Nassr, where he scored his 980th goal against Diriyah in the Saudi Pro League. Pouncing on a rebound spilled by the goalkeeper, he slotted home the match’s opening goal.
Ronaldo continues to pad his stats in 2026. The Portuguese forward has racked up 23 goals in official competitions across 2026 for both club and country. It remains to be seen whether he can keep adding goals with his country, given the controversial situation with Jorge Jesus that caused him to leave the national team camp.
Key takeaways
- 934 career goals were reached by Lionel Messi following two goals against D.C. United.
- 980 career goals were reached by Cristiano Ronaldo, placing him 20 away from 1,000.
- 23 goals in 2026 have been scored by Cristiano Ronaldo for club and country.
