Lionel Messi has made history once again. Following his goal in the 2-2 draw against Austin FC on a special night marking the inauguration of Nu Stadium and the sixth matchday of the MLS season, Leo scored his 903rd career goal and his fifth of the season.
He is now closing in on the 1,000-goal milestone, with only one rival still scoring: Cristiano Ronaldo.
Here’s where the race for 1,000 goals stands between Messi and CR7
This Saturday, April 4, the 38-year-old Argentine captain reached 903 goals in 1,146 matches played. With this, Leo is now 97 goals away from reaching 1,000 in his career.
Most of the #10’s goals came during his time at Barcelona, where he scored 672 times. He then added another 32 with Paris Saint-Germain and has already tallied 83 with Inter Miami. Additionally, he has scored 116 with the Argentina National Team. His last goal came in an international friendly on March 31 against Zambia.
Cristiano Ronaldo, for his part, is coming off a double celebration, as on Friday, April 3, the forward scored two goals for Al-Nassr against Al-Najma. With this, CR7 now has 967 goals in 1,313 matches played and is 33 goals away from 1,000.
This match also marked “El Bicho’s” return to the field, as he had been sidelined since the victory over Al Fayha (3-1) on February 28, when he had to be substituted (Hamstring injury).
Throughout his career, the Portuguese forward has scored 450 goals for Real Madrid, 145 for Manchester United, another 101 for Juventus, 123 for Al-Nassr, and 5 for Sporting CP. Additionally, he has scored 143 goals for the Portugual National Team.
Only time will tell if he can score the remaining goals from now until the end of his career.
Heading to the 2026 World Cup: It Will Be Historic
Although Lionel has not yet confirmed his participation in soccer’s biggest tournament-to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 12-if he decides to participate, he will join Cristiano as the only two players to have played in six World Cups.
Furthermore, this edition could be the World Cup “Last Dance” for both of them, marking the end of an era dominated by their plays, goals, and talent.
Messi leads all players in the number of World Cup matches played in history, reaching 26 games following his participation in the Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022 World Cups, where he was crowned champion.
Ronaldo, with 22 matches spread across Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022, ranks fifth, behind Lothar Matthäus, Miroslav Klose, and Paolo Maldini.
Meanwhile, Argentina will defend the title it won in 2022. It will lead Group J, which also includes Austria, Algeria, and Jordan. They will face Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, at Kansas City Stadium. Then, at Dallas Stadium, they will play against Austria on Monday, June 22, and against Jordan on Saturday, June 27.
Portugal will face Colombia, Uzbekistan, and the DR Congo in Group K. On Wednesday, June 17, Portugal will play its first match against the DR Congo. On Tuesday, June 23, they will face Uzbekistan, and on Saturday, June 27, Colombia.
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