Lionel Messi scores 100th goal for Inter Miami during Campeones Cup win
You don’t have to use your head too hard to know that Lionel Messi is one of the greatest of all time.
But in case you needed one more reason, the Argentinian superstar used his own head to notch another career accomplishment.
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Messi, 39, scored his 100th goal in all competitions for Inter Miami on Wednesday, Sept. 16. It was the opener in the club’s Campeones Cup match against Cruz Azul at Nu Stadium, which Inter Miami won 2-0.
In the 24th minute, Luis Suárez sent a pass from the right side of the pitch to Messi, who was in front of the net and leaped to knock in the header. He fell to the pitch and got up, smiled and pointed to his teammate who gave him the assist.
Miami took the victory in the match between the reigning MLS Cup winner and the most recent winner of Liga MX’s Campeón de Campeones after Casemiro scored a second goal in the 81st minute. The Campeones Cup title is Inter Miami’s fourth trophy in club history. And they’ve won them all with Messi.
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Messi joined Inter Miami, which is co-owned by David Beckham, in 2023 after building his career with Barcelona and a stint with Paris Saint-Germain. He helped Miami win its first MLS Cup title in December and won the league’s Golden Boot in 2025 with 29 goals. The club previously won the Supporters’ Shield for the best regular season record of the 2023-24 campaign and took home the Leagues Cup in 2024.
He is the league’s leading scorer this season with 19 goals and tops all players with 13 assists. Last month, the club supported Messi when his father, Jorge, passed away.
There are more than a dozen MLS players who have scored 100 goals in the league, including Josef Martínez, Jaime Moreno and Landon Donovan. Chris Wondolowski is the all-time leading scorer with 173 goals for the San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo.
Messi became the all-time Leagues Cup scorer on the heels of his 2026 World Cup performance in which Argentina finished second, just short of defending its 2022 title. Messi became the all-time World Cup scorer after finishing with 21 goals overall and eight this summer. He was passed, though, by Kylian Mbappé, who scored 10 times to reach a career total of 22 World Cup goals and win his second straight Golden Boot.
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The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner announced on Aug. 31 that he is retiring from the Argentina national team. His farewell match with La Albiceleste will be a friendly against Benin on Oct. 6 in Buenos Aires.
Campeones Cup results
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2026: Inter Miami 2, Cruz Azul 0
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2024: Club América 1, Columbus Crew 1 (Club América won penalty shootout, 5-4)
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2021: Columbus Crew 2, Cruz Azul 0
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2020: Canceled due to COVID-19
Inter Miami’s trophy case 🏆
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Supporters’ Shield (2024)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lionel Messi scores 100th goal for Inter Miami during Campeones Cup win
Crédito: Link de origem