Lionel Messi continues to rock the football world, even as he is playing in the Major League Soccer (MLS), a retirement league. Putting his best for Inter Miami in the MLS Cup, Messi scored a pair of first-half goals and added two assists, leading the way as his side ousted Nashville SC 4-0 on Saturday night in the decisive Game 3 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. Courtesy of the two assists, Messi reached a major milestone in his career, notching up a whopping 400 assists in his career (for both club and country). The achievement sees Messi remain just 4 assists shy of the top spot, which is occupied by the great Ferenc Puskas at present.
When it comes to his career stats, Messi has featured in a total of 1133 games for both club and country, scoring 894 goals and registering 400 assists. In comparison, Messi’s fierce rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, is placed 9th in the list, with 304 career assists so far.
Lionel Messi’s career stats are a joke!
1133 games
894 goals
400 assists
46 trophies
8 Ballon d’OrsThe greatest player of all time! pic.twitter.com/2EA99MdvEH
— Sholy Nation Sports (@Sholynationsp) November 9, 2025
Tadeo Allende scored a pair of goals about three minutes apart — both set up by Messi — in the second half to blow the game open for Inter Miami, which outscored Nashville 8-3 in the series. Messi had a hand in all eight of those goals, scoring five and assisting on the other three.
Inter Miami will go to FC Cincinnati for an East semifinal match — everything now is single-elimination, unlike Round 1’s best-of-three format — on Nov. 22 or Nov. 23. Cincinnati went 1-0-1 against Inter Miami this season, winning 3-0 at home on July 16 and playing to a scoreless draw at Fort Lauderdale on July 26. Messi was in the lineup for the first meeting, but not the second.
“We know Cincinnati will be a tough test,” Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba — who is retiring when this playoff run ends — said after his 100th appearance with the club.
Messi is the heavy favourite to win his second straight MLS MVP award, and if that happens he would be the first back-to-back winner in league history. He also won the Golden Boot as MLS’ leading scorer this season, just finalised a new three-year deal to remain with the club through 2028 and seems to be playing his best soccer at the perfect time for Inter Miami.
This is the first time Inter Miami has gotten this far in the MLS playoffs. South Florida’s MLS predecessor — the long-defunct Miami Fusion — got as far as the league’s semifinals in its final season in 2001, but this is new territory for Inter Miami.
A year ago, in Messi’s first full season with the club, it lost a Game 3 of Round 1 at home as the Supporters Shield winners and were ousted by Atlanta.
Not this time. Messi saw to that.
With AP Inputs
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