November 2, 2026
The global Goal website highlighted that Argentine star Lionel Messi is close to achieving an exceptional record in his football career, which may be difficult for his Portuguese rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, to reach.
Messi, 39 years old, continued his brilliance with his club Inter Miami, leading his team to victory over New England Revolution 2-1 in the American Football League, after scoring one goal and assisting another.
The Argentine star raised his tally this season to 26 goals and 13 assists, bringing his total goals throughout his career to 937 goals during 1,184 matches, at a goal rate every 104 minutes. In terms of goal making, Messi’s tally reached 428 assists, bringing his total scoring contributions with clubs and his country to 1,365 contributions, at a rate of one contribution every 71 minutes.
The Inter Miami captain now needs only 35 additional scoring contributions to reach the barrier of 1,400 contributions, which is an unprecedented historical achievement that strengthens his position as one of the most prominent football legends. The latest numbers support Messi’s chances of achieving this achievement, especially after his contribution in scoring 36 goals during the last 27 matches he played with the Argentina national team and Inter Miami, since facing Austria in the 2026 World Cup.
On the other hand, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo is still ahead of Messi in total goals scored, with 985 goals in 1,343 matches, at a goal rate every 111 minutes, ahead of his traditional rival by 48 goals.
However, the scene changes in favor of Messi when calculating the total scoring contributions (goals and assists combined), as the Argentine star excels with 1,365 contributions compared to Ronaldo’s 1,246 contributions, a difference of 119 contributions, benefiting from his clear superiority in the collective scoring aspect and playmaking.
These numbers confirm the continuation of the historical conflict between the two icons, at a time when Messi is steadily approaching a new historical achievement that may make it extremely difficult for Ronaldo to catch up with him in terms of overall scoring contributions.
