Lionel Messi keeps turning the impossible into a countdown. His two goals in Inter Miami’s 3–1 win at Atlanta United on Saturday took the Argentine to 936 career goals at 39 years old — 64 short of a number no footballer in history has ever reached: 1,000.
Inside the Inter Miami camp, they are not treating it as a fantasy. Cristian González backed Messi to get there, pointing to the trait that has defined his career: “He loves challenges.”
The race, however, has a leader — and it is not Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo stands at 981 career goals, just 19 away from the milestone, and is widely projected to reach it first with Al-Nassr. The Portuguese star had 873 goals when he turned 39 in February 2024, and closed that year of his life at 923.
The comparison at the same age is what keeps the race alive. Messi turned 39 on June 24 with 916 goals — nearly matching what Ronaldo had when he turned 40 — and has added 20 more since, with roughly eight months left before his own 40th birthday. He is more than two years younger than Ronaldo and owns the better career goals-per-game ratio.
There is one constraint working against him: Messi has retired from the Argentina national team, so from here on every goal must come in club football with Inter Miami — domestic and continental fixtures only. Ronaldo, closer and still adding international matches, holds the shorter path. Messi holds the longer runway.
Two legends, one number nobody has ever touched. The only question left is who gets there first — and whether both do.
Photo by @angelealmada (Messi, featured); Photo: Getty Images (Ronaldo, in body)
Source: World Soccer Talk, October 18, 2026; Sportskeeda, October 2026
Redacción LAMomentum
