More than three years after scoring his first goal for the club against Cruz Azul, the Argentine superstar reached 100 goals for Inter Miami against the very same Mexican opponent, heading Miami toward a 2-0 victory in the 2026 Campeones Cup.
Messi struck in the 24th minute, attacking a Luis Suárez cross and heading it past Cruz Azul goalkeeper Kevin Mier to become the first player in Inter Miami history to score 100 goals for the club.
And he did it in only 115 appearances across all competitions.
Then, with the trophy still not completely secure, Messi helped finish the job.
His corner in the 81st minute was headed home by Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, sealing the 2-0 win and giving Miami its first Campeones Cup.
The night delivered a milestone, an assist and silverware.
But the opponent made the story even more remarkable.
Cruz Azul Was There for Goal No. 1 Too
On July 21, 2023, Messi made his Inter Miami debut against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.
He entered as a second-half substitute with the game still undecided.
Then, deep into stoppage time, Messi curled a free kick into the top corner to give Miami a dramatic 2-1 victory.
That was goal No. 1.
On September 16, 2026, Cruz Azul was standing across from him again when goal No. 100 arrived.
There is a striking symmetry to it.
The first goal introduced Messi to South Florida with one of the most memorable free kicks of his career.
The 100th was a header — a far less typical Messi finish — and helped secure another championship.
Three years separated the moments.
The opponent never changed.
Messi Reached 100 in Just 115 Inter Miami Appearances
Inter Miami’s official statistics show how rapidly Messi accumulated the century.
He scored:
11 goals in 2023
23 in 2024
43 in 2025
23 so far in 2026
That adds up to exactly 100 goals in 115 appearances.
The 2025 season was particularly extraordinary.
Messi won the MLS Golden Boot with 29 goals and finished with 48 total goal contributions — 29 goals and 19 assists. He was also named MLS MVP for the second consecutive season, becoming the first player in league history to win the award back-to-back.
Even at 39, his influence on Miami remains far larger than simply finishing chances.
Against Cruz Azul he scored the opener and created the second goal.
Casemiro Is Suddenly Scoring Headers for Fun
The second scorer added another intriguing storyline.
Former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro headed Messi’s corner into the net in the 81st minute to make it 2-0.
According to AP reporting carried by Fox Sports, it was his fourth goal in five matches — all four scored with his head.
Casemiro had previously scored in consecutive matches against Montreal, Atlanta United and Chicago before going scoreless against Nashville.
Against Cruz Azul, he was back on the scoresheet.
And Messi provided the delivery.
That combination gave Inter Miami enough breathing room to celebrate another championship at the final whistle.
What Exactly Is the Campeones Cup?
The Campeones Cup is an annual one-match competition designed to pit the champions of North America’s two biggest domestic leagues against one another.
The MLS Cup champion represents Major League Soccer, while the Campeón de Campeones winner represents Liga MX.
That is why Inter Miami faced Mexican powerhouse Cruz Azul in this year’s edition.
MLS described Wednesday’s victory as Inter Miami’s first Campeones Cup title.
For Miami, it also extends a remarkable run of success since Messi arrived.
Inter Miami Has Won Silverware in Every Season of the Messi Era
Messi arrived at a club that had never won a major trophy.
Within weeks, that changed.
Miami captured the 2023 Leagues Cup, the first trophy in club history.
It added the Supporters’ Shield in 2024 after producing the best regular-season record in MLS.
Then came a historic 2025 campaign that included an Eastern Conference title and MLS Cup championship.
Now there is the 2026 Campeones Cup.
Different sources count Inter Miami’s honors slightly differently depending on whether a conference championship is classified alongside major trophies. Inter Miami itself describes the Campeones Cup as the fifth title in club history, while MLS coverage emphasizes the major silverware won in each of Messi’s four seasons.
Either way, the transformation since July 2023 is undeniable.
Messi Has Now Won 48 Trophies for Club and Country
MLS says the Campeones Cup raised Messi’s career trophy total to 48 titles, extending his status as the most decorated player in the sport’s history.
His collection stretches across nearly two decades.
There were the Champions League and La Liga triumphs with Barcelona.
Domestic success with Paris Saint-Germain.
The Copa América and 2022 World Cup with Argentina.
And now an expanding collection of trophies in the United States.
What initially looked like a late-career move to MLS has instead become another highly productive chapter.
He is not merely appearing for Inter Miami.
He has become its all-time leading scorer and central figure in nearly every major trophy run since his arrival.
The New Stadium Got Its First Trophy Too
The championship also carried special meaning for Inter Miami because it was the first piece of silverware lifted at the club’s new Nu Stadium, its permanent home in Miami.
MLS says the 26,700-seat stadium opened in April 2026. Managing owner Jorge Mas had spoken at the time about the new ground beginning another chapter in which Miami expected to keep competing for championships.
Five months later, the team was lifting a trophy there.
Messi initially walked to the podium alone with the Campeones Cup before being joined by his teammates for the main celebration.
Mas called it the type of night the organization had envisioned when the new stadium was built.
And the New Coach Won a Trophy in His First Match
The result was even more extraordinary for Cristian “Kily” González.
Inter Miami formally announced the former Argentina international as its new head coach only on September 15, after he received the necessary U.S. work authorization.
His first competitive match?
The Campeones Cup final.
His first result?
A trophy.
González replaced interim manager Guillermo Hoyos, who had been leading the team following Javier Mascherano’s resignation earlier in the season.
Reuters reported before the match that Miami had been going through a difficult spell in MLS, winning only one of its previous five regular-season matches and sitting second in the Eastern Conference.
That made the cup victory an immediate lift for a club going through a managerial transition.
After the final, González revealed that Messi had told him he would make him a champion.
One match into the job, he had kept the promise.
The 100-Goal Breakdown Shows Messi Has Scored Everywhere
Messi’s Inter Miami goals have not been limited to MLS.
His century includes goals across domestic, regional and international competitions.
Inter Miami’s official totals show his production spanning MLS, the Leagues Cup, Concacaf competition and the FIFA Club World Cup. Separate reporting puts the largest share of the 100 in MLS, with significant totals in the Leagues Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup as well.
One of the most important came at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, when his free kick helped Miami beat Porto 2-1.
Inter Miami says the result made it the first Concacaf club to defeat a European team in an official competition and the first U.S. club to win a Club World Cup match.
That helps explain why the 100-goal figure is more significant than a domestic scoring record alone.
Messi has delivered in virtually every competition Miami has entered.
The Header Was Unusual — The Result Was Not
Messi reaching the century with a header felt almost deliberately unexpected.
His defining goals have normally come from his left foot.
Free kicks.
Dribbles.
Low finishes into corners.
Curling shots from outside the penalty area.
Against Cruz Azul, Suárez supplied the cross and the 5-foot-7 Argentine rose to meet it.
The method was unusual.
The outcome — Messi deciding another final — was much more familiar.
MLS named him the match’s top performer after his goal and assist.
Inter Miami’s Investment in Messi Keeps Producing Trophies
When Miami signed Messi in 2023, the transfer fundamentally changed the commercial profile of the club and Major League Soccer.
Ticket demand surged.
Miami became a global attraction.
Apple’s MLS product gained unprecedented international attention.
High-profile former Barcelona teammates including Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba followed him to South Florida.
But three years later, the sporting argument may be even simpler.
Before Messi arrived, Inter Miami had no trophies.
Since his arrival, trophies have become an annual expectation.
MLS midfielder Yannick Bright described Messi’s desire to keep winning as contagious after the Campeones Cup final.
At 39 years old and after virtually every possible achievement in world football, Messi is still chasing the next one.
The Perfect Full-Circle Number
Statistics can sometimes feel arbitrary.
Goal No. 100 normally matters primarily because people like round numbers.
This milestone has something more.
Messi’s first Inter Miami goal came against Cruz Azul.
It arrived in his debut, deep into stoppage time, from a free kick that instantly changed the atmosphere around the club.
Three years later, the same Mexican team returned.
Messi scored again.
This time it was goal No. 100.
And this time there was another trophy waiting at the end.
For a player whose Miami chapter began with an unforgettable goal against Cruz Azul, reaching his century against them almost looks scripted.
The only question now is how far beyond 100 he intends to go.
Leave a Reply