Inter Miami have just officially won the MLS Supporters’ Shield after defeating Columbus Crew 3-2. Notably, superstar Messi remained the centre of attention in the match as he scored a brace in just 5 minutes.
In the 45th minute, La Pulga had a skillful move in the narrow area and a delicate finish, scoring the first goal. Just 5 minutes later, Messi continued to shine with an accurate free kick that doubled the difference.
Since joining Inter Miami, Messi has played 34 games, scored 30 goals and added 17 assists, winning 2 titles. He also surpassed his compatriot Gonzalo Higuaín to become the second best striker in Inter Miami history. The leader is Leonardo Campana with 31 goals.
With Inter Miami winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield championship, Messi now has a total of 46 titles in his career. He broke his own record as the player with the most titles in the history of football.
Of those 46 titles, 35 were won when Messi was still playing for Barça. He won 6 championships with Argentina, 3 times with PSG and lifted a trophy twice with Inter Miami.
It is worth noting that Messi changed the history of Inter Miami. When he first joined the team in the summer of 2023, the club was second from bottom to top in the standings. After 18 months. They have 2 titles. Last year it was the Leagues Cup championship and now it is the MLS Supporters’ Shield.
By comparison, arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo has yet to win any official title with Al Nassr, apart from the obscure Arab Club Champions Cup.
It is worth noting that CR7 also seems to weaken the team. Consequently, when he joined, Al Nassr was ranked number 1 in the Saudi Pro League standings. After Ronaldo’s arrival, the club only ranked second in 2 consecutive seasons despite spending 250 million euros to bring in many stars.
In terms of the number of titles, Messi also “surpasses” Ronaldo. While La Pulga has 46 titles, CR7 has only lifted the trophy on 33 occasions. From 2021 until now, Messi has won 10 titles, while Ronaldo only has a round number 0.
According to statistics, Messi has won 13 national championship titles in 21 professional seasons. His tournament winning rate is as high as 62%. In comparison, Ronaldo has only won 7 national championship titles in 23 seasons, a rate of 30%.
In total, Messi has scored 843 goals in his professional career with Argentine clubs and national teams. He is still 60 goals behind Ronaldo. CR7 currently has 903 goals in his career.
In addition to surpassing Ronaldo, Messi also surpassed the achievements of another former MU star: David Beckham. Thus, La Pulga has scored 66 free-kick goals in his career, while Becks’ figure is only 65 goals.
Currently, Messi’s free-kick scoring statistics are equal to those of Ronaldinho and Victor Legrotaglie (both with 66 goals). Only two people follow him: Pelé (70 goals) and Juninho Pernambucano (77 goals).
