Lionel Messi ties Drake Callender for second place on Inter Miami’s all-time appearances list

Lionel Messi returned to action for Inter Miami on Saturday, in the club’s match against DC United at Nu Stadium, his first since his farewell with the Argentina national team. The Argentine captain started the game, and as he did, he moved further up one of the few club lists he had yet to dominate.

The appearance was the 118th of his Inter Miami career, which ties him with goalkeeper Drake Callender for second place on the club’s all-time appearances list.

Only one player remains ahead of him. Noah Allen, a homegrown defender who now plays for the Chicago Fire, holds the club’s all-time record with 132 appearances after passing Callender’s previous mark in April. Messi and Callender, now with Minnesota United, share second place with 118 each, followed by Sergio Busquets and Robert Taylor with 116 apiece.

Luis Suárez follows in sixth place with 113 appearances, ahead of Benjamin Cremaschi with 107, Jordi Alba with 103, Yannick Bright with 101 and Leonardo Campana with 100, completing the top 10. With Allen no longer adding to his total, Messi needs 14 more appearances to tie the record and 15 to take sole possession of it.

Can Messi surpass Allen’s record in 2026?

The short answer is no. Messi sits at 118 appearances after the DC United match, and with six regular-season matches left on the official MLS schedule, he would reach 124 if the captain plays all of them.

The playoffs could add more matches, but not enough. Inter Miami, currently third in the Eastern Conference, would enter Round One, a best-of-three series between November 20 and December 2, and could play up to three matches there. The Conference Semifinals follow on December 5 and 6, the Conference Finals on December 11 and 12, and MLS Cup on Friday, December 18.

A run all the way to the final would give Messi a maximum of six playoff matches, for a ceiling of 130 appearances. Even a path through the Wild Card round would raise that ceiling only to 131. That leaves the Argentine two matches short of tying Allen and three short of passing him in the best possible scenario, so the record will probably fall in the first matches of the 2027 season.