Lionel Messi Makes MLS History as He Becomes the First Player to Reach an Extraordinary Milestone

Lionel Messi Makes MLS History as He Becomes the First Player to Reach an Extraordinary Milestone

Lionel Messi continues to break records in the 2025 MLS season, adding two major achievements during Inter Miami’s 4–0 victory over FC Cincinnati that secured the club’s first ever appearance in the Eastern Conference Final.

The 38 year old superstar scored one goal and delivered three assists, leading Javier Mascherano’s team to a dominant win at TQL Stadium.

Historic MLS Cup Playoff Record

With this performance, Messi has climbed to the top of the all time list for the most goal contributions goals plus assists in a single MLS Cup playoff campaign.

Under Mascherano’s leadership, Messi has recorded six goals and six assists in just four postseason matches. Earlier, in the series against Nashville SC, he scored five goals and provided three assists.

Another Incredible Personal Milestone

Messi has reached a historic total of 1300 career goal contributions across all competitions. This figure includes his time at Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain, Inter Miami and the Argentina national team, accumulated over 1135 matches.

Complete Dominance Against Cincinnati

During the most recent match, Messi opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a header from a Mateo Silvetti assist. He then created two goals for Tadeo Allende and another for Silvetti, controlling the tempo of the game from start to finish.

Messi now has 11 goals and 11 assists in his last seven appearances, contributing to all but three of Inter Miami’s goals during that period. On average, he is producing a goal involvement every 28.6 minutes.

Messi’s Numbers in 2025

Across all competitions in 2025, Messi has scored 43 goals and provided 28 assists in 47 matches. In the MLS regular season, he claimed the Golden Boot with 29 goals and 19 assists.

The Next Record in Sight

The Argentine icon is now close to challenging the record for the most goals in a single MLS Cup playoff campaign. The current record belongs to Carlos Ruiz, who scored eight times for LA Galaxy in 2002.