Lionel Messi has continued to rewrite the record books since arriving at Inter Miami in July 2023, turning a struggling MLS side into a genuine trophy contender almost overnight. Between MLS titles and international trophies, the Argentine has been directly responsible for Miami’s transformation, and his individual numbers have kept pace with the club’s rise on the pitch.
That run hit a new milestone on Wednesday, when Messi scored his 100th goal for Inter Miami in the club’s 2-0 win over Cruz Azul in the Campeones Cup final, heading in a cross from Luis Suárez in the 24th minute to help lift the club’s first-ever title in that competition.
The goal came in just 115 appearances, making it the fastest Messi has ever reached the 100-goal mark with any club he’s represented, well ahead of the 188 games it took him at Barcelona and even faster than the 174 matches he needed to hit the same number with the Argentina national team.
The milestone naturally invites a comparison to Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been on a similar scoring pace since joining Al Nassr in December 2022. The Portuguese forward actually got there quicker, reaching 100 goals for the Saudi club back in May in just 113 appearances, two fewer than Messi needed with Inter Miami.
With Ronaldo now 41 and Messi 39, the parallel numbers are yet another reminder of how their decade-long rivalry continues to play out on separate continents, even this deep into their careers.
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Lionel Messi claims Campeones Cup with Inter Miami to extend trophy tally to 48 as soccer’s most-winning player
Ronaldo’s four-club milestone stands out against Messi’s more selective scoring resume
While Messi’s run to 115 games set a new personal best, the gap between the two forwards widens when it comes to the number of clubs where they’ve each reached triple figures.
Messi has now done it with just two clubs, Barcelona and Inter Miami, while Ronaldo added Al Nassr to become the only player in history to score 100 goals for four different clubs, joining Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus on that list.
Messi’s path outside Barcelona, where he shattered every scoring record in the club’s history, has looked far more limited. His only other stint at a European giant came at PSG, where he managed just 32 goals in 75 appearances before moving to MLS.
