With nearly 900 goals, Messi is much more than just stats, says Mascherano

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·10 de marzo de 2026

With nearly 900 goals, Messi is much more than just stats, says Mascherano

The Inter Miami coach, Javier Mascherano, emphasized on Tuesday the importance of Lionel Messi reaching the milestone of 900 career goals, although he believes that the Argentine star's statistical achievements do not fully reflect his contribution and influence in football.

The captain of the Argentine national team and Inter Miami can reach the impressive milestone during his team's visit to Nashville on Wednesday, in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16.

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Messi, 38, scored his 899th career goal in a 2-1 victory over DC United on Saturday, during the third round of the MLS.

“Scoring 900 goals is crazy. It's incredible,” said Mascherano at a press conference at the Inter Miami Stadium. “Leo's numbers are impressive, but considering how good he is, the statistics are the least important.”

“What he brings to the game goes far beyond his numbers. I hope we can help him reach the 900-goal mark tomorrow. That will show we played a good match,” he added.

Inter, the current MLS champion, will make its debut in the international competition against a revamped Nashville, which thrashed Canadian Atlético Ottawa 7-0 on aggregate in the first round.

“Teams that go to Nashville to play defensively will have difficulties,” stated Mascherano. “We want to dictate the pace of the game, trying to be the protagonists. We need to go for the goal.”

“It's an improved team compared to last year. They have improved their attack, but overall, they remain the same,” he noted.

Mascherano, 41, prioritized the Concacaf Champions League, a tournament Inter has never won, for the first half of 2026, without diminishing the importance of other competitions.

“The club's identity is always to seek more and not delude ourselves. We are not in a position to make choices. The most important match is the next one,” he reiterated.

Inter will have the reinforcement of Spanish defender Sergio Reguilón for Wednesday's match.

With content from AFP*

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.