Lionel Messi created history in his debut in the US, by becoming the first player to score 700 non-penalty goals. His 700th goal was recorded during his debut for Inter Miami.
The Argentine appeared for Major League Soccer side Inter Miami and helped them to secure a win against Mexican side Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup. Messi netted the winning goal in the final moments of the second half. The 36-year-old scored a magnificent free-kick strike from outside the box in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Also read: Messi-Suarez REUNION on cards at Inter Miami! Jorge Mas hints potential transfer
Lionel Messi scored a non-penalty goal every 121 minutes which is the fastest in comparision to Cristiano Ronaldo, who scores a non-penalty goal every 138 minutes. The Portugal forward comes second in the tally with 686. He is currently playing for the Saudi club, Al Nassr. Messi will play maximum number of games at MLS to strengthen his lead over Ronaldo.
If we break down Messi’s 700 goals, his 621 goals came for the clubs, and 79 goals were recorded for his country. Ronaldo is ahead in international non-penalty goals with 105. Messi scored 111 non-penalty goals in UEFA Champions League and 74 goals in club competitions. His league goals are 436 which is also higher than Ronaldo who has netted 409 goals.
Messi spoke to the Apple TV broadcast after his 700th goal, “What I saw was the goal. I saw the goal, I knew that I had to score.”
He also added about his debut game, “It was the last play of the game and I wanted to score so we didn’t go to penalties. So it was very important for us to get this win, because it’s a new tournament this is going to give us confidence moving forward.”
Lionel Messi moved to Inter Miami from PSG as a free agent this summer. He won each trophy in his European club career. He recently was a part of the team that won the FIFA World Cup for Argentina. The 7-time Ballon d’Or winner will be happy to reach this milestone and would look to chase new glory in US.
Also read: Lionel Messi’s new club Inter Miami plan to move to new stadium in 2025
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