Messi becomes the third player to reach 40 goals in 2026

After scoring twice in Inter Miami‘s weekend win over Atlanta United, Lionel Messi reached 40 goals for the year.

It is a milestone the La Pulga has become very familiar with throughout his career – but only three players have reached that mark in 2026.

Now 39, the Argentina No. 10 has scored 40 goals in 44 appearances this year, with 29 coming for Inter Miami and 11 for the Argentina national team. Add his 21 assists, and Messi has registered a direct goal contribution every 61 minutes on the pitch – an incredible return.

Those numbers have also brought Messi closer to the 1,000-goal mark in his career. The Argentine has now scored 942 goals, leaving him just 58 short of the landmark. Like Cristiano Ronaldo, La Pulga is counting down towards one of football’s most iconic milestones.

Messi’s career has now featured an incredible 14 years in which he has reached at least 40 goals. The Argentine scored 40 or more in ten consecutive years between 2009 and 2019, before repeating the feat in 2021, 2025 and now again in 2026.

The Argentine superstar is also only the third player in world football to reach 40 goals in a calendar year. Before him, England’s Harry Kane had scored 53, while Croatian Dion Beljo, of Dinamo Zagreb, has found the net 43 times.