Messi hat-trick brings career 909 goals

Lionel Messi did not score a hat-trick on May 13, according to official match reports from Major League Soccer and Inter Miami. The league’s recap of Inter Miami’s 5-3 win at FC Cincinnati credited Messi with two goals and one assist in the regular-season match at TQL Stadium. (mlssoccer.com) Inter Miami’s own match report also listed Messi with a brace, plus the pass that set up Mateo Silvetti’s equalizer. The fifth Miami goal was recorded as an own goal by Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano after Messi’s shot hit the post and went in off the keeper. The discrepancy matters because the claim that Messi reached 909 career goals and 411 assists on May 13 appears to rely on counting that late sequence as a third goal. (mlssoccer.com) The official competition records available on May 14 do not support that. MLS listed the scoring as Messi in the 24th and 55th minutes, Silvetti in the 79th, Germán Berterame in the 84th and a Celentano own goal in the 89th. ### Did Messi score three goals against FC Cincinnati? MLS said no. The league’s official match page showed Messi with two goals, and Inter Miami’s club report used the term “brace” in describing his performance. Both accounts said the final Miami goal came when Messi hit the right post and the ball rebounded in off Celentano. (mlssoccer.com) The scoring sequence is laid out in the official event log. Messi opened in the 24th minute, scored again in the 55th, and then supplied the assist for Silvetti in the 79th. Berterame scored in the 84th before the own goal in the 89th completed the comeback. (mlssoccer.com) ### What exactly happened in the match? FC Cincinnati led 3-2 in the second half before Inter Miami scored three times to win 5-3. Kévin Denkey scored from the penalty spot in the 41st minute, Pavel Bucha put Cincinnati ahead in the 49th, and Evander restored the home side’s lead in the 64th after Messi had made it 2-2. (mlssoccer.com) Inter Miami then turned the game late. Silvetti equalized in the 79th minute from Messi’s pass, Berterame scored the winner in the 84th, and Celentano’s own goal followed in the 89th. MLS reported expected goals of 3.1 for Miami to 1.6 for Cincinnati, with Miami taking 16 shots to Cincinnati’s 10. (mlssoccer.com) ### Where did the 909-goal claim come from? Social-media posts and secondary stat trackers circulated the idea that Messi had reached 909 career goals and 411 assists after the match. But the official sources tied to the competition do not show a third goal on the night, which means those totals cannot be confirmed from the match record itself. (mlssoccer.com) Third-party databases also showed differing totals around the same period, underscoring the need to rely on official competition records for the match in question. One widely used independent tracker listed Messi below the claimed total after recent matches, while ESPN had separately reported in March that Messi had reached 900 career goals. (mlssoccer.com) ### What did the performance still add to Messi’s season? Inter Miami’s club report said Messi’s first goal took him to 10 in the 2026 MLS regular season and the second to 11. The same report said the assist on Silvetti’s goal was Messi’s fifth of the league campaign. MLS also said Messi had four goals and five assists in his previous three matches. (mlssoccer.com) The result moved Inter Miami to 25 points from 13 matches, according to the club report. Inter Miami also said the victory tied the 2024 FC Cincinnati side for the most points through nine road games in an MLS regular season, with 22. (messivsronaldo.app) ### What comes next for Inter Miami and Messi? Inter Miami’s schedule lists Portland as the club’s next opponent on May 17 at Nu Stadium. MLS and the club site list kickoff for 3:00 p.m., with Apple TV carrying the match. MLS has also scheduled a World Cup pause from May 25 to July 16 in the 2026 regular season calendar. (intermiamicf.com) That leaves Messi with two more league matches — against Portland on May 17 and Philadelphia on May 24 — before the break. (mlssoccer.com 1) (mlssoccer.com 2)