Lionel Messi Nears 900-Career-Goal Milestone; Projected to Reach 1,000 Goals in the 2028 Season

Lionel Messi is set to reach a major career milestone in 2026: his 900th career goal.

Messi’s current career tally stands at 896 goals, just 4 short of the 900-goal mark. The 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) season kicks off this weekend, with Inter Miami’s opening match away at LAFC. Messi will also feature for Argentina in the Copa América, the FIFA World Cup and other competitions this year, making the 900-goal milestone only a matter of time.

Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the only active player to have scored over 900 career goals, having achieved the feat in September 2024.

Ronaldo is fewer than 40 goals away from his dream 1,000-goal milestone, which has raised questions over whether Messi can also chase this target. Although he still needs 104 more goals, Messi is fully capable of reaching this landmark.

According to projections by Camel, if Messi maintains his current scoring rate — regardless of form or fitness fluctuations — he is expected to score his 1,000th career goal sometime in the 2028 season, the final year of his current contract.

Messi’s Career Goal Breakdown