Lionel Messi added another feather to his glorious career after the Argentine legend became the first player to score 40 goals in a calendar year across all competitions in Major League Soccer. The great footballer achieved this historic feat during the Nashville SC vs Inter Miami MLS Cup 2025 Playoffs on Saturday. Sadly, Messi's Inter Miami suffered a narrow 1-2 defeat against Nashville SC. MLS Cup 2025: Lionel Messi’s Double Fires Inter Miami Past Nashville SC in Playoff Opener.

Talking about the match, Sam Surridge opened the scoring for Boys in Gold, converting a penalty as early as the ninth minute. Just ahead of the half-time, Josh Bauer doubled the lead for Nashville SC. In the 89th minute, Inter Miami did manage to score a consolation goal after Messi received the ball inside the box and scored a thunderous strike for the Herons, which allowed the Argentine legend to reach the historic milestone.

The 38-year-old reached the remarkable milestone in over 45 MLS matches across five competitions this year. Messi has scored five goals in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and two in the Leagues Cup. The forward has found the net 29 times in regular-season goals and three playoff goals in MLS. Messi has one goal in the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup. Lionel Messi to Visit Hyderabad! Star Argentina Footballer's 'GOAT Tour' Expands Further After Cancellation of Friendly in Kerala.

Lionel Messi shattered the previous record held by Carlos Vela, who smashed 38 goals for Los Angeles FC in the MLS 2019 season. However, it was later tied by Denis Bouanga in 2023. Lionel Messi has scored in 25 different matches across all competitions. The Argentine star has 892 goals in his career. For Messi, to reach the 1000 goals landmark, he still needs 108 goals. Meanwhile, his rival Cristiano Ronaldo currently has 952 goals, and the Al-Nassr star is just 48 away from reaching the historic landmark.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 03, 2025 12:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).