'One of a kind' Messi hits 900 career goals - numbers behind milestone

Lionel Messi helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar Lionel Messi became only the second player in history to reach 900 top-level career goals after scoring in Inter Miami's match against Nashville SC on Wednesday. The Argentina international scored the landmark goal after just seven minutes at Geodis Park in Tennessee in the Concacaf Champions Cup last-16 second leg tie. The 38-year-old forward has found the back of the net 81 times in 92 appearances since signing in June 2023 to help Inter Miami win the League Cup and MLS Cup. Messi - regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time - has also scored a plethora of goals for Barcelona, Paris St‑Germain and Argentina during a glittering career in which he has won the Ballon d'Or eight times. Here, BBC Sport delves into the numbers behind his latest milestone. Since becoming the youngest scorer in Barcelona's history at 17 years, 10 months and seven days old - Messi hasn't stopped scoring. It took the forward only three minutes to find the back of the net after replacing Samuel Eto'o in the second half of a La Liga fixture against Albacete in May 2005. It was his first of 672 goals during a legendary 17-year career with the Catalan club. In total, he made 778 appearances for Barcelona, helping them to 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, four Champions Leagues, three Super Cups and three Fifa Club World Cups before leaving to join PSG in 2021. Although his time in the French capital only lasted two seasons, Messi still managed 32 goals in 75 games for the Ligue 1 club as part of a formidable front three alongside Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe. After his contract at the Parc des Princes expired at the end of the 2022-23 campaign, Messi - who led Argentina to a World Cup triumph six months earlier in Qatar - joined MLS side Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham. On the international stage, the frontman has 196 caps for Argentina, scoring 115 goals for the three-time world champions. According to Opta, Messi has: Scored 755 of his 900 goals with his left foot He has scored 111 times with his right foot, 30 times with his head and four goals are counted as 'other'. He has found the back of the net 724 times from inside the box, with 176 of his goals coming outside the area He has scored 112 penalties and 70 free-kicks The teams Messi has scored the most goals against in his career to date are: Sevilla (25), Athletic Club (24), Atletico Madrid (23), Valencia (18), Real Madrid (17) and Levante (16). It is no surprise Messi joins long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo in such an illustrious group. Ronaldo, 41, reached 900 goals after scoring for Portugal against Croatia in September 2024. Since then, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward has scored a further 59 times for club and country to take his career tally to 959. Messi and Ronaldo - who have won the Ballon d'Or a combined 13 times - are the only players in the history of the men's game to reach the 900-goal landmark. Legendary forward Pele claimed to have scored more than 1,000 times during a career with Brazil, Santos and New York Cosmos. But statisticians at RSSSF rebutted the statistics and said he only scored 778 official goals. Meanwhile, Brazil's 1994 World Cup hero Romario has 785 strikes to his name. Messi and Mascherano were part of the Barcelona side that won the Champions League in 2011 In the build-up to last weekend's game against DC United, Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano described Messi as "one of a kind". The former Liverpool and West Ham midfielder, 41, shared the pitch with his compatriot during his playing days at Barcelona and Argentina, before the pair were reunited in November 2024 when he was appointed manager of the MLS club. In 2012, Messi set the record for the most goals in a calendar year (91), with 79 for Barcelona and 12 with Argentina. He is also the fastest player to score 100 Champions League goals, doing so in just 123 outings. "[I am] a privileged spectator, nothing more, nothing less," said Mascherano. "I haven't contributed much to him scoring goals, neither with assists, nor now as a coach. "I've been lucky enough to see most, or many, of the goals he's scored, much closer than you all, and that's a privilege. "The number we're talking about [900] is insane, and that's why Leo is one of a kind." Follow your club with BBC Sport Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast Get football news sent straight to your phone Four English teams out in 24 hours - what just happened and why? 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