Lionel Messi continues to prove that age is just a number. At 37 years old (he turns 38 on June 24), the Argentine superstar netted his 50th goal for Inter Miami in just 61 appearances, during his team’s recent 2-1 win over Porto at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Following this latest milestone, many fans are wondering — how long did it take him to reach the same number with Barcelona and Argentina?
Goal No. 50 for Inter Miami came when the team needed it the most. After equalizing early in the second half, Messi scored a fantastic free kick goal to give The Herons a crucial victory over Porto in the group stage of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
Messi’s path to 50 goals with Barcelona was far more gradual. He needed 119 games — nearly twice as many as with Inter Miami — to reach that mark (including both official and friendly matches). His 50th goal came during a friendly against Hibernian in 2008, a historic moment as it was also the first time he wore the iconic No. 10 jersey for the Catalan club.
With Argentina, the story was similar. Messi scored his 50th goal for the national team in his 107th match. That milestone came in 2016 during a 2-0 win over Bolivia in World Cup qualifiers for Russia 2018.
And what about PSG?
Paris Saint–Germain became Lionel Messi’s home following his legendary and historic spell at Barcelona. However, things didn’t go as planned for the Argentine during his time in France.
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Expectations were high for that PSG side, which, in addition to Messi, featured global stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Sergio Ramos, among others. But despite the star-studded squad, they failed to achieve their main objective: winning the UEFA Champions League.
Over two seasons in Paris, Messi scored 32 goals and provided 35 assists in 71 appearances. During his stint with PSG, he won two Ligue 1 titles and one Trophée des Champions.
