How long will it take Lionel Messi to score 1000 career goals?
For many, Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer to have ever lived but how long will it take the Argentine star to score 1000 career goals?
At the time of writing, Messi has scored a whopping 838 career goals with 729 of them coming at club level and the other 109 on the international stage.
The 37-year-old might be in the twilight years of his career right now, but he certainly still knows how to find the back of the net.
He’s been in fine goalscoring form since joining Inter Miami last year and the diminutive playmaker still has plenty left in the tank yet.
When asked about retirement back in March, Messi claimed that he hasn’t put much thought into it.
“The truth is I haven’t thought about it yet,” Messi said. “Today, I try to enjoy it day-by-day, enjoy every moment without thinking about it more than that.
“I don’t have anything clear yet but to keep playing, which is what I’d like to do for a while longer. When the moment arrives, surely I’ll find the path to whatever fills me with joy and I enjoy and it’ll be a new role.”
For Messi, he has made it clear that he will decide to retire when he is no longer able to make a positive impact on the game.
“The moment that I’m not at the level to deliver, that I’m not enjoying it, that I’m not helping my teammates,” Messi said.
“Like I said before at the beginning, I’m very self-critical with myself. I know when I’m good or when I’m bad, when I play well or when I play badly, and when I feel that moment to take that step, I will without thinking about my age.
“If I feel good, I will always keep trying to compete because it’s what I like and what I know how to do.”
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His current contract with Inter Miami is valid until December 2025, although the MLS outfit will be hopeful that he stays beyond that.
We’ve taken a closer look at Messi’s goalscoring numbers and have worked out how long it will take him to score 1000 career goals.
– As of writing, Messi has scored 838 career goals to date, meaning he needs to score 162 more goals to reach the 1000 landmark.
– One of the biggest factors that will determine if Messi can reach 1000 career goals is his injury record. Since he joined Inter Miami last year, he’s already missed 21 matches through fitness and injury issues.
– During 2023-24, Messi made a total of 41 appearances and averaged a goal every 105 minutes. If he maintains that scoring ratio and continues to play that volume of matches, it will take him just over five seasons to hit the 1000 tally. That would mean Messi would need to play professionally until he is at least 42 years old.
– At his peak in 2011-12, Messi averaged a goal every 72 minutes. If he somehow gets back to those figures, it would take him 130 matches to reach 1000 goals, although that seems unrealistic at this stage of his career.
– These days, Messi is at his most prolific when playing for Inter Miami. Since joining the club last year, he has scored 25 goals in 29 games, averaging a goal every 92.8 minutes.
– In comparison, Messi has averaged a goal every 183 minutes for Argentina in 2024. These days he is more of a creative force for Argentina, rather than the goalscoring machine he used to be.
– In order to score 1000 goals before he retires, Messi’s best chance of reaching this landmark would be to focus on his goal output in MLS.
– If he continues to score at a rate of 92.8 minutes per goal at club level, it will take Messi 167 games to reach 1000 goals. If he plays an average of 40 games per season, it would take him just over four seasons to hit 1000 goals.