Despite not reaching his goal of winning the MLS Cup, Lionel Messi helped Inter Miami in their 3-2 defeat against Atlanta United with a stunning header. With the goal, the Argentine star now has 850 goals in his career, being the second player to reach that number, just behind Cristiano Ronaldo and doing it faster than the Portuguese.
Messi scored 850 goals in 1081 matches, while Ronaldo reached 850 goals in 1179 games, according to MessivsRonaldo.app. Meaning, the Argentine needed 98 matches less to achieve the feat. The Portuguese scored his 850th career goal as Al Nassr won 5-1 at Al-Hazm in the Saudi Pro League on September 2, 2023.
Ronaldo was the first to surpass the 800-goal mark, achieving this milestone in late 2021 during his second stint with Manchester United. In the all-time goalscorer list, the Portuguese is first with 908 goals, while Pelé, with 765, is third, according to FIFA.
The Argentine star scored 672 goals for Barcelona, 32 with PSG and he currently has 34 goals with Inter Miami. Meanwhile, with Argentina he has scored 112 goals so far. His latest goals came in his impressive performance against Bolivia for 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in October.
Lionel Messi of Inter Miami celebrates after his goal against Atlanta United ( Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
When only taking the international goals, Ronaldo has 133 goals in 2016 appearances, also the most of all-time. Meanwhile, the Argentine is second, surpassing former Iran forward Ali Daei, who had scored 109 goals.
see also
Inter Miami out of MLS Cup Playoffs: How many titles has Messi won in the US compared to Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia?
Messi’s goals facts
In which tournament he has scored the most goals?
The tournament where Lionel Messi has scored the most goals is Spain’s La Liga, with 474, followed by the 129 he has scored as the second-highest scorer in UEFA Champions League history.
Which team is his favorite rival?
Messi has scored his most goals against Sevilla, whom he scored against on 38 occasions. Atletico Madrid (32) and Valencia (31) complete the podium. Meanwhile, he scored 26 goals against Real Madrid.
see also
Lionel Messi scores another free-kick goal: How many does Cristiano Ronaldo need to tie him?
What is Messi’s goal ratio?
Messi edges the ratio, with 0.79 goals per game, whereas Ronaldo has scored 0.73 goals per game. If we drill down into goals per minute, Messi scores a goal every 104 minutes, and Ronaldo scores a goal every 112 minutes.
