Football: Lionel Messi nets 900th career goal; joins Cristiano Ronaldo in exclusive club

Argentina's Lionel Messi became the second men's football player in history to score 900 career goals on Wednesday (18 March), joining Cristiano Ronaldo in elite company.

The 38-year-old Beijing 2008 Olympic champion and 2022 FIFA World Cup winner reached the major milestone after striking early in Inter Miami's 1-1 draw with Nashville FC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, despite the club's exit from the tournament.

Messi's 900th goal, scored with his left foot, came 21 years after he scored his first in senior football for Barcelona, aged 17.

"[I am] a privileged spectator, nothing more, nothing less," Inter manager Javier Mascherano said after. "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."

How Lionel Messi’s Olympic gold medal campaign at Beijing 2008 unfolded

Messi vs Ronaldo: The story of the 900 club

Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, has forged a reputation in his glittering career for writing records and hitting landmarks.

He has also long been compared with Portuguese football star Ronaldo, the only other men's player in history to notch 900 career goals.

The Argentine's 900th goal comes in his 1,142nd appearance, almost 100 games quicker than the Portuguese, who managed the same feat in his 1,236th match in September 2024.

In the time since, Ronaldo has reached 965 goals, with the forward having made plain his ambition to reach 1,000 before stepping away from the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s milestone moments as he scores 900th career goal

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