MLS goal scoring records Lionel Messi can break with Inter Miami
Records have piled up over the course of Lionel Messi’s career and his move to Inter Miami in Major League Soccer should offer an opportunity to add a few more to the mix.
The 36-year-old is still able to score goals with incredible consistency after ending a season in which he scored 21 goals and provided 20 assists for PSG.
And his performances at the 2022 World Cup showed he can still carry a team on his back. The former Barcelona forward is also expected to bring Inter Miami’s faltering season to life.
Over time, Messi has developed a habit of beating goalscoring records he currently holds Barcelona (672) And La Liga (474) All-time Scoring Title.
Sporting News takes a look at the records he could be aiming for with Inter Miami in MLS.
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Most goals scored in a single MLS season
- Record: 34 goals (Carlos Vela)
During his time at Barcelona, Messi won the Pichichi Trophy (La Liga top scorer) a record eight times, scoring his best goal in a season in 2011/12 Scored 50 goals.
The mark for most goals scored in a single MLS season is held by the former Mexico international Carlos Velawho scored 34 goals for Los Angeles Football Club in 2019.
Most goals scored in a single MLS game
- Record: 5 goals (Clint Mathis)
MLS has had some incredibly high-scoring games in recent years, but in just one game has a player scored five goals.
Former US international Clinton Mathis scored five goals when the MetroStars defeated Dallas 6-4 in August 2000. (The MetroStars later became the NY Red Bulls.)
Messi has only scored five goals once in a single game, in Barcelona’s 7-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in 2012.
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Most goals in MLS history
Former USA 2014 World Cup player Chris Wondolowski still holds the all-time MLS goal record 171 career goals He scored multiple goals for the Houston Dynamo and the San Jose Earthquakes from 2006 to 2021.
The active player with the most goals in his MLS career is that of the Chicago Fire Kei Kamarawho has 139 MLS goals to his name, on both sides of spells in England and Finland.
Based on Messi’s two-and-a-half-year contract in Miami and the option to extend it to 2026, it would take a superhuman effort to catch Wondolowski as a goal of the century is unlikely for Messi.
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Most goals in MLS playoffs
- Record: 25 Career Goals (Landon Donovan)
Successful endings to the season in the MLS playoffs have seen key players advance for their teams, and the MLS playoff record for highest scoring is held by the USNMT legend Landon Donovan.
Donavan scored 25 goals in the MLS playoff finals During his stints with the San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy, he won a record six MLS Cup titles.
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Most goals in a season by an Inter Miami player
- Record: 16 goals (Gonzalo Higuain)
One record Messi could have within reach during his time at Inter Miami is the club’s individual MLS top scorer title.
In their three seasons as an MLS club Gonzalo Higuain secured two top scorer awards with 12 league goals in 2021 and 16 in 2022.
Messi’s chances of beating his former Argentinian teammate depend on whether Messi becomes a regular goalscorer or an intermediary who allows his teammates to score.
Still, with a clean slate and a full season going into 2024, Messi will be confident of hitting double figures.