Lionel Messi marked another major milestone on Wednesday, scoring his 100th goal for Inter Miami as the MLS club beat Mexican side Cruz Azul 2-0 to win the Campeones Cup in Florida.Messi opened the scoring in the 24th minute, heading home a pinpoint cross from Luis Suárez. Casemiro then sealed the victory with a late header as Miami lifted another trophy.The goal came in Messi’s 115th appearance for the club, making him the fastest player to score 100 goals for any club or country. He had previously reached the milestone in 188 games for Barcelona and 174 appearances for Argentina.
Messi delivers another trophy for Miami
Since joining Inter Miami in 2023, Messi has scored 76 goals in MLS, 14 in the Leagues Cup, eight in the Concacaf Champions Cup and one at the FIFA Club World Cup.The victory also gave new Miami coach Cristian “Kily” González a trophy in his first game in charge.Watch:“Leo [Messi] told me I was going to become a champion, and he made it happen,” González said, as per ESPN.“Moving forward, this gives us a huge morale boost, it’s a vital element for us, and while we’ve achieved this, we have to keep going,” he added.Messi, who is 39, joined Miami after spells with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. He has now helped the club win four trophies.The Campeones Cup was also the 49th trophy of Messi’s career.
Messi set for Argentina farewell
Messi is also preparing for his final appearance for Argentina. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner announced last month that he would retire from international football.Argentina will play Benin in Buenos Aires on October 6, with the match expected to serve as Messi’s farewell.“We invited the world’s best player, our national-team icon, our captain Lionel Andres Messi, to have a deserved farewell here in Argentina,” AFA president Claudio Tapia wrote on social media.“Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul, and Giovani Lo Celso will join the squad for the final friendly match on October 6th. The list of players called up from the domestic league will be announced on Friday,” the Argentine FA said.Messi has scored 125 goals in 207 appearances for Argentina. His international career includes a World Cup title in 2022 and two Copa America triumphs.“After the time that has passed since the final, and after giving it a lot of thought, I want to let everyone know that I am retiring from the Argentina national team,” wrote Messi on 31 August. “It was a decision that hurt – and still hurts deep down – but I understand that the time has come.“I swear to you that I always gave it my all – not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too. I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you, through football, feel proud to be Argentinian.”
