The three competitions we can’t believe Lionel Messi has never scored in
Throughout Lionel Messi’s illustrious career, he’s only failed to score in three of the 19 competitions that he’s played in.
As of writing, Messi has scored 850 goals for club and country in 1083 appearances. The 37-year-old averages 0.78 goals per game and more often than not, he makes the difference.
We’ve taken a closer look at Messi’s career and have found the three competitions that he’s never managed to score in.
Coupe de France
During his two-year stint with PSG, Messi made two appearances in the Coupe de France and he failed to score in either game.
His first appearance in the competition came back in January 2022 against Nice which ended as a goalless draw. While Messi himself did score in the penalty shootout, PSG ultimately lost the tie on spot kicks.
The Argentine forward then made his second and final appearance in the competition the following season against Marseille in the round of 16.
Messi played the entire 90 minutes against the French giants but struggled to make much of an impact as he failed to register a goal or assist.
PSG went on to lose the tie 2-1 on the night and Messi never managed to get his hands on the Coupe de France trophy during his two years in Paris.
READ: The 3 trophies we can’t believe Lionel Messi has never won in his career
US Open Cup
The U.S. Open Cup is the domestic cup equivalent to the FA Cup in England as teams from throughout the USA football pyramid compete for the trophy.
Coincidentally, Messi’s first-ever appearance in the competition just so happened to be in the final last year. Inter Miami had made it to the final without Messi, but the Argentine superstar was thrown into the mix against FC Cincinnati.
Despite Messi producing a man-of-the-match performance where he provided two assists, he didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet as the final ended 3-3 after extra time.
Then despite scoring his penalty in the shootout, Messi’s side ultimately lost 5-4 on penalties which must’ve stung.
Since losing the final, Messi’s never got the chance to avenge the loss as Inter Miami didn’t take part in the tournament during their 2024 campaign.
READ NEXT: Comparing Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami record after 39 matches with Ronaldo’s at Al-Nassr
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Finalissima
Messi produced a masterclass of a performance in the 2022 Finalissima as Argentina ran out as 3-0 winners over Italy at Wembley.
The Argentine magician produced two assists on the night but failed to get on the scoresheet himself despite having eight shots in total.
As Argentina won the 2024 Copa America, they will get the chance to win their consecutive Finalissima trophy when they take on Spain who won Euro 2024.
However, as the match reportedly won’t take place until March 2026, it remains unclear whether or not Messi will still be playing for Argentina by then.
The match-up between Argentina and Spain was originally supposed to take place in 2025, although the congested international schedule has seemingly pushed the fixture back to 2026.