Lionel Messi continued his pursuit of Cristiano_Ronaldo in the all-time top scorers’ race, after netting a brace that led Inter Miami to a victory over Atlanta United, moving a step closer to the 1,000-goal milestone.
The Argentine star’s brilliance in his side’s away win in Major League Soccer maintained his presence in the Golden Boot race, adding a new chapter to the ongoing goalscoring rivalry with the Al-Nassr captain.
The double raised Messi’s tally to 936 official goals in his career, leaving him 64 goals away from the 1,000 mark. In contrast, Ronaldo’s tally stands at 981 goals—45 goals ahead of the Argentine—leaving the Portuguese forward needing 19 goals to reach the eagerly awaited milestone.
Messi scored his first goal in the 56th minute after exchanging passes with Germán Berterame and bursting into the penalty area before slotting it between the legs of goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos, giving Miami their second lead following Berterame’s opener just before halftime.
Just four minutes later, he collected a pass from Luis Suárez, bypassed defender Junior Alonso, and fired into the far corner. Atlanta could only pull one back through Fafa Picault from the penalty spot, as the match ended in a 3-1 victory for the visitors.
Messi reached 25 goals in the current MLS season, cementing his lead at the top of the scoring charts, having previously claimed the Golden Boot last season with 29 goals. His total tally with Miami across all 2026 competitions has now reached roughly 29 goals.
The Argentine had previously reached his century of goals for Inter Miami against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup on September 16, during his 115th appearance for the club. His first hundred included just five penalties, before subsequent strikes raised his total overall tally with the team to 106 goals.
This prolific goalscoring output continues at the age of 39 following his move to Miami in the summer of 2023, keeping the prospect of reaching 1,000 goals mathematically alive. While Ronaldo holds a clear advantage in terms of remaining distance, Messi’s braces ensure the chase continues into this late stage of their legendary careers.
